


Oliver Queen: Agent of SHIELD Book two

by Stand_with_Ward_and_Queen



Series: SHIELD finds Oliver [2]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Arrow (TV 2012), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Bratva Oliver Queen, F/M, Infiltration, Sequel, Spies & Secret Agents
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-19
Updated: 2021-02-16
Packaged: 2021-02-28 04:40:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 21,163
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22808002
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stand_with_Ward_and_Queen/pseuds/Stand_with_Ward_and_Queen
Summary: The second installment of the 'SHIELD finds Oliver' series. Six months after defeating China White, Oliver is in Russia, working to track down the people who threatened his loved ones with the help of Bobbi Morse and Richard Dragon. Oliver is reunited with an old friend as he takes on the forces of the Russian underworld in a battle that will cost him more than he ever imagined.
Relationships: Anatoli Knyazev & Oliver Queen, Konstantin Kovar & Oliver Queen, Oliver Queen & Richard Dragon, Oliver Queen/Bobbi Morse
Series: SHIELD finds Oliver [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1548340
Comments: 97
Kudos: 29





	1. A lead

**Author's Note:**

> So, here is book two of Oliver Queen: Agent of SHIELD. The chapter is a little on the short side, I know, but it will get longer.
> 
> And, so everyone understands where we’re at in the MCU timeline, the first chapter takes place four months after the events of the Avengers film.

SHIELD safe house  
Afternoon

In the safe house that had acted as their base of operations for the last six months, Oliver Queen and Richard Dragon were sparing with Escirma sticks. Doing so reminded Oliver of all the times he and Slade would do so on Lian Yu but he couldn’t get distracted by bittersweet memories.

As Dragon struck at him, with reaction speed that would have made Slade proud, Oliver whirled around, using his Escirma stick to block Dragon’s. Dragon pushed back and Oliver stumbled back, barely managing to block some of Dragon’s strikes. Oliver dodged Dragon’s attempted blow to his head and grabbed his arm, throwing Dragon onto the floor.

“Huh,” Dragon said as he stared up at Oliver. “I thought this was only supposed to be an Escirma stick only spar.” 

“An enemy wouldn’t play by the rules. That what you’re always telling me, right?” Oliver asked sarcastically and Dragon nodded.

“True enough. But you made one mistake,” Dragon said, confusing Oliver. “You’ve left yourself wide open.”

Before Oliver knew what had happened, Dragon had knocked Oliver onto his back and had one of his Escirma sticks at his throat.

“If I was the enemy, you’d be dead by now,” Dragon said before pulling the stick away and standing up, offering Oliver a hand up. “Never let your guard down, even for a minute.”

“Couldn’t you teach me that in a way that doesn’t have me falling on my ass?” Oliver asked sarcastically as he accepted Dragon’s hand and the other man laughed as he helped Oliver up.

“Don’t feel too bad, you’ve come a long way in the last six months,” Dragon said and Oliver sighed.

“It’s hard to feel good about that when we aren’t getting anywhere with our mission,” Oliver grumbled.

He had a point, Dragon mused. Once arriving in Russia and setting up shop in the safe house, the trio had looked into the transactions between Kang and his contact in Russia. They had traced it to a company that turned out to be a front for a government agency run by a man known as Konstantine Kovar. They had spent the last five months trying to find out why Kovar would be exchanging emails with Kang but after five months, they were no closer than the day they arrived.

“Oliver, I know you’re frustrated, but you need to be patient. We’ll find out the connection Kovar has with Kang and the Triad soon, I promise,” Dragon said as he placed a hand on Oliver’s shoulder. “Bobbi’s out checking on a lead right now.”

Russia  
Same time

Dressed in a tight, form fitting dress that made her feel like a hooker, Bobbi made her way through the bar. Seeing her target, she gave the man a wink. Feeling his eyes on her, she walked out the door and, like a moth drawn to the flame; he got out of his feet so fast he almost tripped over himself. He then followed her into the back alley and, before he knew what had happened, Bobbi had grabbed him in a neck lock and slammed him against the wall.

“There are five ways I can kill you before you could make a sound,” Bobbi said as the man felt a cool blade against his side. “You want to live, do exactly as I say. You work for Kovar, don’t you? Nod your head yes if you do.”

Terrified, the man nods. 

“Good. Now, I know Kovar is in contact with someone from America, someone who works for a company like Queen Consolidated. Why?” Bobbi demanded.

“Kovar, he has deal with Bratva, Russian mob,” the man said in heavily accented English. “American contact is so he can pay his contact in Bratva.”

“Who’s the contact in the Bratva?” Bobbi demanded.

“I don’t know, I swear,” the man said in a panic.

“I believe you,” Bobbi said after a moment, a hint of remorse entering her eyes. “And I’m sorry…but I can’t chance that you’ll tip off Kovar that I was asking around. No one can know.”

Before the man could respond, Bobbi stabbed the man in his side before yanking the knife out all in less than five seconds. The man gasped in pain as Bobbi let him go. He fell to the ground; holding his side, which was gushing blood as he looked up at her. She looked at him regretfully before walking out as the man slumped to the ground, the fight leaving his eyes.

SHIELD safe house  
Later in the afternoon

Oliver and Dragon were eating some lunch when Bobbi walked in. They could clearly see she was upset about something.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” Oliver asked in concern as the pair stood up.

“I…interrogated one of Kovar’s men,” Bobbi said, hiding her emotions behind a blank mask. “Kang wasn’t Kovar’s only contact. He has someone in the Bratva working for him.”

“Bratva, like the Russian mob?” Oliver asked and Bobbi nodded. 

“Well, that’s interesting,” Dragon mused.

“Why?” Bobbi asked and both she and Oliver were confused and a bit unnerved by the smirk that crossed his face. 

“Because Oliver has an old friend in the Bratva,” Dragon said as he went over to the computer and started pushing buttons.

A holographic screen then appeared in the corner of the room. As Oliver and Bobbi turned to look at it, Oliver stared at it in disbelief.

“Anatoly?” Oliver breathed.

“Anatoly Knyazev is a Bratva Captain, next in line to be Pakhan should the current Pakhan fall,” Dragon explained and was met with a blank state. “He’ll be leader if the current leader meets an unfortunate end.” 

“Okay, but how does this help us get Intel on Kovar?” Oliver asked, not seeing it.

“We’ll use your connection to Knyazev in order to have you infiltrate the Bratva, try and root out Kovar’s men,” Dragon said and Oliver stared at him stunned.

“Anatoly’s my friend, I’m not gonna exploit him that way,” Oliver protested immediately. 

“Well if you have any other options, I’m all ears,” Dragon said and there was a tense silence. “Oliver, this is the break we’ve been looking for. This is the lead that could get us to Kovar and to the people who went after your family.” 

“Oliver, I get it, he’s your friend…but we all we have to do things we don’t want to in this job. It’s not always about what we want,” Bobbi said and it was silent for a moment.

“Okay,” Oliver finally said with a sigh. “Okay. What do I have to do?”


	2. The reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver and Bobbi have a conversation about their relationship before Oliver begins his infiltration of the Bratva.

SHIELD safe house  
Night

Oliver was lying on his back on his bed in the room he’d had been living in for the last six months. He was staring at the one possession he had besides Shado’s hood, bow and quiver: Laurel’s picture. 

It may sound romantic, but he wasn’t staring at it, dreaming of the day he’d see her again. He was staring at it to remind himself of why he was about to betray a friend. The people who targeted Laurel, Tommy and his mother and sister were still out there and they could go after them again. As much as he didn’t like it, using Anatoly’s connection to the Bratva was the only lead they had right now. So he would swallow his regret, for Laurel and his family. 

Oliver was broken out of his thoughts by a knock on the door. Knowing who it was, Oliver pocketed the picture and got to his feet, walking over to the door. He opened it, revealing Bobbi standing on the other side. 

“Hey,” Bobbi said as Oliver stepped aside, letting her in.

“Hey,” Oliver said as he closed the door. “Are you okay?”

“Fine, why wouldn’t I be?” Bobbi said, avoiding his gaze.

“What happened when you went out to track down this lead today?” Oliver asked and Bobbi was silent. “Something’s clearly bothering you. I’m not sure what this is exactly, but I’ve done the whole no strings attached thing before. And I want…more. So I need to know, what is this to you?”

“I don’t know,” Bobbi said after a moment, looking at Oliver honestly. “I’ve got baggage in my past, just like you do Oliver. I just know I care about you…and I don’t want this to stop. Can’t that be enough for now?”

“For now, it can be enough,” Oliver said with a nod after a moment. “I don’t expect us to just start talking about our pasts or the things that bother us. But I hope that someday...we can get to that point with each other.”

“I hope so to,” Bobbi said softly. “I will tell you what happened today…just not right now Oliver.”

Oliver nodded, accepting that. After all, there were things he wasn’t ready to share with her either. 

“I just want you to know…if you ever want to talk about your day, I’m here,” Oliver said gently and she smiled.

“I know. Thank you,” Bobbi said gratefully.

No more words were exchanged as Bobbi leaned in, kissing him. It wasn’t passionate or wild, but it spoke of things that neither of them were ready to say just yet. Bobbi then pulled back, staring at Oliver with hooded eyes before she grabbed his hand. She led him over to the bed before removed her shirt, revealing a black bra underneath. She dropped her shirt to the floor as Oliver removed his own shirt. They kissed once more before falling onto the bed and removing their remaining items of clothes.

Russia, next day  
Late morning

In a van outside a bar, Dragon was in the driver’s seat as Bobbi was helping Oliver get ready.

“This phone is untraceable,” Bobbi said as she handed it to Oliver. “A number to a secure line is programed in. Make contact at least once a day, keep us updated.”

“So you’ve said for the third time,” Oliver said sarcastically as he pocketed the phone.

“Show time Oliver, Knyazev is making his move,” Dragon said he saw Anatoly making his way towards the bar.

Oliver nodded, sharing one last look with Bobbi. They couldn’t say a proper goodbye with Dragon here, so they let their eyes do the talking. Then, Oliver opened the back door to the van and jumped out, closing the door behind him. Bobbi let out a sigh before walking to the front of the car and sliding into the passenger seat, watching what was about to happen with Dragon.

Outside, Oliver waited until Anatoly and his friends entered before walking inside the bar. Oliver looked around, assessing the bar and its patrons. This was nothing like any of the bars he had ever been in before, that was for sure. He saw Anatoly and one of his friends sit down at a table while another went up to the bar to order something. Oliver made a point to wait until the man got his drinks and was starting to head over to Anatoly’s table until he made his move. He ‘accidently’ bumped into the man, making him drop the drinks. And, just like he expected, Anatoly’s friend grabbed him by his shirt and pulled out a gun. Before he could fire, a hand shot to and grabbed his hand, making his shot fire off aimlessly, hitting the wall.

“You almost shot my friend in the head,” Anatoly said coldly, staring at the other man with a cold fury. “Take a seat Viktor.” 

Glowering, Viktor let Oliver go and returned to his seat. The patrons, who had turned their attention to the scene at the sound of the breaking glass, turned back to what they were doing as Anatoly turned to Oliver.

“Oliver Queen, my brother,” Anatoly said warmly as Oliver chuckled.

“Anatoly, it is very good to see you,” Oliver said honestly as the two embraced. 

“My old friend, I thought you dead!” Anatoly exclaimed as he pulled back. “Why are you in Russia?”

“That is a very long story,” Oliver admitted and Anatoly nodded before turning to the bartender.

“Two drinks for my friend and I,” Anatoly said before turning to Oliver. “Come, we will talk and you will tell me why you are here.”

Oliver nodded as Anatoly led him over to the bar. As happy as he was to see Anatoly, he knew things were just beginning. And that, if exposed, Anatoly would likely see him as the enemy for his betrayal. Things just got a whole lot more dangerous. But, for his family, no sacrifice was too far, no action inconceivable. He would do whatever it took to protect them, to stop the people coming after him. Even if that meant betraying his friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it’s another short chapter, but I’m gonna try and make the chapters longer from this point on. 
> 
> I don’t consider myself a good writer of romance and I’m even worse at executing them, so I just decided to have Oliver and Bobbi get together during the six month time skip, like Arrow did with Oliver and Shado.


	3. Recruitment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Oliver begins his recruitment into the Bratva, Dragon makes an admission to Bobbi.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Italics are Russian.

Bar

Afternoon

“He’s been in there an hour. Maybe we should head in to make sure things haven’t gone south,” Bobbi said to Dragon as they waited outside in the van, seeing no movement from the bar aside from the occasional patron entering or exiting the bar.

“From the report on Lian Yu, Oliver and Knyazev are pretty tight. I’m sure your boyfriend’s fine,” Dragon said, smirking at the surprised look that covered Bobbi’s face for a moment before she had a chance to school it. “I’m a spy, it didn’t take me long to figure out that your bed hasn’t been slept in the last few months. Don’t worry, I won’t say anything. God knows Fury is a stickler for the whole ‘no dating coworkers’ rule.”

“Thank you,” Bobbi said letting out the breath she hadn’t realized she was holding.

“Just be careful. Dating within the team, it never ends well,” Dragon said and it was silent as they continued to keep watch on the bar.

Inside, Anatoly put down his drink, staring at Oliver with an unreadable look on his face.

“So, you survive Lian Yu, and rather than go home, you come to mine. Nothing is ever simple with you Oliver Queen,” Anatoly noted.

“I was going to head home but on my way there, I was approached by some…bad people. They threatened my family,” Oliver explained and Anatoly frowned. “But they were only the fronts; I’ve been trying to track down the boss for the last six months. Closest I’ve been able to track is to a man named Konstantine Kovar.”

“And what is your plan, to kill Kovar or die trying? Because second one, much more likely,” Anatoly told him and Oliver looked at him imploringly.

“I need to know if Kovar is the one who threatened my family or if goes beyond him,” Oliver said.

“Kovar has army, government soldiers. It is very dangerous. Are you sure you want to travel this road?” Anatoly asked.

His only response was Oliver staring at him with a grim look. Having his answer, Anatoly sighed.

“Alright, I will help you my friend. But I warn you, if you survive, this might just kill you,” Anatoly said grimly, confusing Oliver.

Outside, Dragon and Bobbi watched as Anatoly and Oliver emerged from the bar before heading over to a car, Anatoly’s entourage following the.

“Clearly things went well. The hard part is over,” Dragon said and Bobbi scoffed.

“Who are you kidding? It only gets more dangerous from here on out,” Bobbi said grimly.

Russia

Night

“Kovar has army. Only people with power to get passed army is Bratva,” Anatoly told Oliver as they walked up to what looked like a garage, multiple men standing outside.

“You said this was gonna kill me. So why does it look like you wanna initiate me instead?” Oliver asked; weary even though he knew he needed to get close to the Bratva.

“Unless you are careful, it is one in same,” Anatoly told him.

Oliver eyed him wearily before walking up to the men, looking around at all of them as they surrounded him.

“So, I survive this, and then I’m Bratva?” Oliver inquired.

“You survive this and you can begin process of becoming Bratva,” Anatoly said before turning his back to Oliver. “I am sorry my friend.”

Oliver sighed, having a feeling he knew what was coming as he remembered listening to Quentin Lance rant about the gangs in Starling City. And sure enough, one of the men turned and lunged at him, slugging Oliver. Oliver was then thrown to the ground as the other men surrounded him, beating him savagely. Oliver clenched is hand into a fist, reminding himself that he couldn’t fight back. Not if he wanted to get into the Bratva. So he closed his eyes and took the assault of fists as his journey into the Bratva began.

SHIELD safe house, next day

Morning

Bobbi opened her eyes, her internal alarm clock waking her up at six. Sitting up, she looks over, half expecting to see Oliver lying there. But the other side of the bed was empty. She stared at it for a moment, hoping that Oliver was alright before getting up and getting dressed.

Unspecified location

Same time

Oliver groaned as he came to. He opened his eyes, his vision blurring as it came back to him. Meeting Anatoly at the bar, Anatoly taking him to the other Bratva, letting them beat him to a pulp. As he sat up, Oliver winced, pain shot through his body. He hurt all over; the Bratva certainly didn’t pull any punches.

Fighting through the pain, Oliver became more aware of his surroundings. He was in some sort of basement, the lighting was dim, someone who hadn’t spent two years on an island would barely be able to see. Judging by the religious symbols he saw on glass, Oliver guessed he was in the basement of a church. There was a line drawn on the floor and a large bell a few feet from him.

He also wasn’t alone. There were four standing in the room, obviously members of the Bratva. There were also three other men lying on the floor in similar states to Oliver. Other recruits for the Bratva, Oliver quickly realized.

“ _On the line_ ,” one of the men said as Olive and the other recruits got to their feet.

“ _What is this? I was told I was being recruited into the Bratva!_ ” Oliver shouted even as he began to follow the other recruits.

“ _On the line_ ,” the man ordered again.

Realizing he would get no answers, Oliver decided to play along, especially since this seemed to be part of the process Anatoly had warned him about. Oliver stepped onto the line as he stared at the bell, trying to figure out what they wanted them to do. Were they supposed to ring the bell? Somehow, Oliver didn’t think it was going to be that easy.

“ _First one to ring the bell passes_ ,” the man said simply.

Seeing the three Bratva men standing between them and the bell, Oliver quickly realized that this wasn’t just a test of speed. They were going to have to fight off these men. And he would have to hold back, as his skills would be reported to Anatoly. No doubt Anatoly would be curious about his rise in skill over the last year, so Oliver would have to be pretty careful. And lucky, very lucky.

It started with one of the recruits shouting as he rushed for the bell. He was easily stopped by one of the three men acting as the guards, a single punch knocking the recruit down. Oliver and the other two recruits rushed for the bell as well, encountering resistance from the other two guards. Oliver was hit by one in the side with an escirma stick. Oliver fell to his knees, pain shooting through his side. He was ore hurt than he realized, but he couldn’t let that stop him.

As the guard went for another hit, Oliver grabbed his hand and threw his opponent to the ground, grabbing the man’s escirma sticks in the process. Oliver then moved to engage one of the other guards, stopping to help another of the recruits up before swinging the escirma sticks, striking one of the guards as the recruit he’d help up took a swing at another of the guards, knocking the m back.

“Thanks,” the recruit told Oliver and he simply nodded.

SHIELD safe house

Not long after

“Morning,” Dragon greeted Bobbi as she walked into the kitchen, seeing him nursing a cup of coffee. “There are eggs in the skillet if you want some.”

“Any word from Oliver?” Bobbi asked, not beating around the bush.

“No,” Dragon admitted. “But did we really expect to hear from him within the first twelve hours?”

“No,” Bobbi admitted.

“But you hoped anyway,” Dragon noted and Bobbi didn’t deny it. “This is why dating within the team is a bad idea, it’s impossible to be objective, your emotions cloud your judgement and you make mistakes.”

“I can be human and do my job. I’ve never let my emotions control my actions and I’m not about to start,” Bobbi said in a clipped voice as she glared at Dragon, who was unaffected.

“I hope so Bobbi,” Dragon said casually as he got to his feet, staring at her with a cold look in his eyes. “I’ll keep your and Oliver’s little dalliance a secret so long as it doesn’t interfere with the job. But the moment it becomes a problem, I will tell Fury once this is all over. Make sure I don’t have to.”

Dragon then dumped his coffee into the sink before walking out. Bobbi felt the urge to throw her hands up and scream in frustration. At times, Dragon almost seemed like he was a friend, then he seemed like he hated her and Oliver. Dragon was a mystery she and Oliver had struggled to figure out for the last six months. The only thing she and Oliver could say about him without a doubt was that he was a jackass.

Bratva hideout

Same time

Breathing heavily, Oliver picked himself off the floor along with his fellow recruits, none of them able to get passed the guards and ring the bell. As the four of them got back on the line, Oliver analyzed the situation, looking for a way to ring the bell. There were three guards and four of them. He might have a chance if he could use his full skill set, but to do that would raise a lot of questions from Anatoly that he couldn’t answer without blowing his cover. To get to the bell, he’d need the guards distracted. Glancing towards the other recruits, Oliver got an idea. But it would only work if the other recruits would help him.

“Hey,” he said lowly and they glanced towards him. “If we can move them over to the left, we might have a chance.”

“ _What do you mean?_ ” one of them asked and Oliver fought the urge to smile.

“We need to divert their attention, and then one of us sneaks passed and rings the bell,” Oliver explained.

“ _We can’t do it alone_ ,” another said.

“ _It has to be all of us, working together_ ,” Oliver insisted, using Russian to illustrate his point.

The other three exchanged uncertain glances and, one by one, they nodded, realizing Oliver was right. Oliver nearly smiled but knew he had to keep focused, as he knew that the Bratva standing guard knew something was up. They waited a moment and then they were off.

The recruit standing on the far right of the line rushed forward, as did the one next to him. One of them tackled the first guard while the other dealt with the second. Oliver, being the fastest of them, rushed past the third guard, who moved to stop him even as the third recruit held him back for a moment. However, Oliver was too fast, getting to the bell and ringing it. Just in time to, as the third guard would have reached him id Oliver had been a second later.

The fighting stopped as everyone got to their feet. Oliver turned to his fellow recruits, a smile of relief on his face but it was quickly wiped off his face. The Bratva standing by the bell pulled out a gun and, to Oliver’s horror, opened fire, killing all the recruits but Oliver. The three dropped to the floor, dead, as Oliver stared, horrified.

“Congratulations Oliver,” Anatoly said as he and three other men entered the room.

Oliver did not respond, simply staring at the bodies of the three other recruits as he began to wonder if getting to Kovar was really worth all this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know there haven’t been much differences in the Bratva side of things, but once we get passed the recruitment stage of the story, there will be some significant differences.


	4. Trust

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver grapples with trusting the Bratva as he continues his initiation. Bobbi becomes worried about her health.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is mostly a filler chapter, but it does set up an important plot point down the line. For now, enjoy.
> 
> Italics are in Russian.

SHIELD safe house

Mid-morning

In a bathroom, Bobbi retched into a toilet. She had eaten the remaining eggs Dragon had made and had gone to her room to grab her Battle Shaves, planning on heading to the gym for training. Only, halfway there, she had started to feel nauseous. She’d made a beeline for the closest bathroom and was now puking her breakfast up.

Must have been some bad eggs, she thought as she felt some vomit in her hair. Wincing, she sighed. Looks like she was taking a shower early.

In the gym of the safe house, Dragon was unleashing his skills on a practice dummy when he heard his phone ringing on the bench. Stopping, Dragon walked over and picked it up. Seeing the number flashing across the screen, he quickly answered.

“Queen, what’s your status?” Dragon demanded.

“I’m in the process of becoming a member of the Bratva,” Oliver said but Dragon could tell that Oliver was unsettled by something.

“Have you been compromised?” Dragon demanded.

“No, it’s just…a lot harder than I thought it would be,” Oliver admitted. “I have to go. I’ll get in contact when I can.”

Bratva hideout

Same time

Oliver hung up his phone and pocketed it. Oliver sighed as he looked in the mirror of the bathroom he was in. It was strange, he mused as he looked at his reflection. People usually looked in the mirror to check their appearance. Oliver hadn’t bothered since waking up in Hong Kong, even though he had plenty of opportunities to do so. He supposed he was just afraid of what he might see. The face in the mirror was that of a stranger. He no longer recognized the face looking back at him. Would he ever be able to look in the mirror and recognize himself again, he wondered. He hoped so.

Oliver exited the bathroom and found Anatoly waiting for him. Suddenly, he found himself overcome with rage.

“Why Anatoly? Why kill them?” Oliver demanded angrily.

“You rang bell, they did not,” Anatoly said simply.

“I only rang the bell because of them, I couldn’t have done it alone,” Oliver protested.

“But using team was your idea. You use them to win, intelligent, Bratva wants that. Bratva needs that,” Anatoly explained.

“I never would have done it if I’d known it was going to cost them their lives,” Oliver almost growled but Anatoly was unfazed.

“First part of initiation: Only person you can trust is yourself,” Anatoly said and Oliver was silent for a moment.

“Maybe this whole thing was a mistake,” Oliver said doubtfully.

“You still wish to find out if Kovar is behind attack on your family, yes? I told you, Bratva is only way,” Anatoly pointed out.

“Well I’m sorry Anatoly, but how can I trust the Bratva after I watched them execute three innocent men?” Oliver asked hotly and Anatoly’s eyes lit up in recognition.

“Ah, there has been miscommunication,” Anatoly said and Oliver stared at him incredulously. “You want to leave, leave. But come with me first, I have something I need to show you.”

SHIELD safe house

Late morning

Bobbi was reading a book in the living room when Dragon walked in.

“I thought I’d let you know your boyfriend made contact,” Dragon said and Bobbi looked up at him sharply.

“Is he okay? What happened?” Bobbi asked as he closed her book.

“All he said is that he’s begun the process of joining the Bratva. He seemed a little shaken up but whatever it is, I have no doubt Oliver can handle it,” Dragon said before eying her oddly. “Did you change?”

Bobbi quickly realized that he hadn’t had any issues with the eggs. Which meant either that she was sick or that her eggs had been different somehow. However, she knew she couldn’t tell him that. Dragon was only focused on the mission. If he thought she was compromised, for any reason, he’d request she be sent back to America and someone else be sent over.

“I spilled something on me, I had to take a shower,” Bobbi lied with ease.

Dagon eyed her, clearly not believing her. But still, he nodded and walked. Bobbi then put her book down and grabbed her jacket, knowing she needed to head out. If she was sick, there was only one person in Russia she could trust.

Russia

Afternoon

Anatoly had taken Oliver to a rather modest apartment building. Oliver looked around, wondering what Anatoly had brought him here to show him. It didn’t make sense. Oliver saw a middle aged woman putting clothes on a clothing line when Anatoly called out to her in Russian.

“ _Mrs. Volodarsky_?” Anatoly called out.

She looked up at the sound of Anatoly’s voice, looking not quite happy to see him. It was more like she had a sense of urgency about her.

“ _Any news about my son?_ ” she asked urgently.

“Da,” Anatoly said as he pulled something out of his jacket pocket.

Oliver saw it was a picture of one of the potential Bratva recruits that had been killed when Oliver rang the bell. Anatoly handed the picture to Mrs. Volodarsky.

“ _You will not see him again_ ,” Anatoly assured her.

Mrs. Volodarsky looked at the picture for a moment before she looked at Anatoly and smiled.

“ _Thank you_ ,” she said as she hugged Anatoly. “ _Thank you. You are an angel. Thank you for bringing my son’s killer to justice._ ”

“ _Your son’s killer?_ ” Oliver asked in surprise.

“ _This monster took my son’s life for eight hundred rubles_ ,” she told Oliver before looking back at Anatoly. “ _Let me go tell my husband._ ”

As she walked off, Anatoly turned around to face Oliver and Oliver crossed his arm.

“Bratva recruit was a murderer,” Oliver muttered and Anatoly nodded.

“Police catch him but he was son to friend of Kovar. He goes free, Bratva step in to deliver justice,” Anatoly explained.

“How is recruiting him into the Bratva justice?” Oliver demanded.

“But he was not recruited, was he?” Anatoly pointed out.

“What if I wasn’t the one to ring the bell Anatoly?” Oliver demanded.

“We still bring justice,” Anatoly said simply and Oliver laughed humorlessly.

“If you are trying to convince me to trust the Bratva, you are not doing a very good job,” Oliver said sarcastically.

“You must trust process. To defeat Kovar, you need army. Bratva army,” Anatoly pointed out. “You have come this far. Why stop now?”

As much as Oliver didn’t want to admit it, Anatoly was right. Besides, he still needed to figure out who was Kovar’s mole in the Bratva. He couldn’t do that if he walked away. For his family, he would stay.

At the same time, in one of the more seeder parts of Russia, Bobbi walked into a clinic. Closing the door behind her, she saw a dark haired woman at the front desk. As she lowered her hood, the dark haired woman saw her and gasped.

“ _Lindsey, I didn’t expect to see you again!_ ” she exclaimed.

“ _I need your help Taiana_ ,” Bobbi told her.

Taiana was a doctor who ran her own clinic here in the slums of Russia. A few weeks after they had come to Russia, Bobbi had saved her from some men that were getting aggressive with her. Bobbi had lied; telling her that her name was Lindsey but she had been checking up on Taiana ever since, making sure that she was okay.

“ _What’s wrong?_ ” Taiana asked concerned as she saw the look on Bobbi’s face.

“ _I think I’m sick. I threw up this morning. If I’m sick, I need to know now, before it gets worse_ ,” Bobbi said and Taiana nodded in understanding.

“ _Come on, I’ll run some tests, we should be able to figure out what the problem is_ ,” Taiana said as she led Bobbi inside.

Bratva hideout

Later in the afternoon

Anatoly led Oliver into a dimly lit room, where several men in sunglasses were standing by a table with a box on it.

“Bratva. Do you know what this word means?” Anatoly asked Oliver.

“Brotherhood,” Oliver said wearily as he eyed the men uncertainly.

“Da,” Anatoly confirmed. “If you are hungry, brothers will feed you. If you are hurt, brothers will bring ten times pain to those responsible. If one brother succeeds, all brothers are rich. If one brother fails, all brothers…suffer,” Anatoly had moved from Oliver’s side until he now stood behind the table, in front of the box. “Your brothers would kill for you, die for you. As you would kill and die for them.

Anatoly then opened the box to reveal six daggers inside. More than capable of killing Oliver.

“If these men are supposed to be my brothers, why would I fight them?” Oliver demanded.

“They are not here to fight you,” Anatoly assured him.

“Most of these men have tried to kill me,” Oliver argued.

“And with these knives, they could,” Anatoly told him. “You must trust they will not. Do you trust your brothers?”

‘No’ was the honest answer. Oliver didn’t trust any of them, except Anatoly. But if he said that, Oliver knew he would never get into the Bratva, would never find out who Kovar’s mole was. He would never get any closer to Kovar.

“I trust my brothers,” Oliver lied with such ease that he almost fooled himself.

“Take off jacket, turn around,” Anatoly ordered.

Trusting that Anatoly would not allow any lasting harm to befall him, Oliver complied. He placed his duffle bag on the ground, removed his jack and tossed it down on the floor, next to his bag. Oliver then turned around as each of the six men grabbed one of the daggers out of the box and walked up behind Oliver. One by one, they each slashed him across the shoulder, creating a clean cut. It took all of Oliver’s willpower not to cry out. But when he became a member of the Bratva and found out who was Kovar’s mole, it would all be worth it.


	5. I am Bratva

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver continues his initiation into the Bratva as Bobbi receives stunning news.

Russia

Afternoon

“Second test over,” Anatoly said as he and Oliver sat in a car on the street.

“You know, if this is how the Bratva treats there new memberss, I’d hate to see how it treats their enemies,” Oliver muttered, still feeling the pain from when the knives had cut into his back.

“Pass third test, find out,” Anatoly said simply and Oliver sighed.

“What’s the third test?” Oliver asked wearily as Anatoly pulled out a file.

“You keep asking about Kovar. This man will get you one step closer,” Anatoly said as Oliver took it, opening it and seeing a picture of a man with blue eyes and greying blond hair. “You will have to move fast though; he will be arraigned in morning.”

“So he’s in jail?” Oliver asked and Anatoly nodded. “Okay, even if I can get in to talk to him, what makes you think he’ll even talk to me?”

“Read file,” Anatoly said simply.

Wearily, Oliver looked back at the file. As he read it, he understood.

No,” Oliver said immediately. “I’m not gonna-”

“You do not have to,” Anatoly assured him. “He only need think you will. Some men need…persuasion.”

Oliver looked like he’s swallowed a lemon as he nodded. He hated it, he hated every minute of this. But to protect his family, there was nothing he would not do.

“Okay, but still, how do I get in to talk to him?” Oliver asked.

In response, Anatoly pulled out a flask.

“It’s a little early for a drink, don’t you think?” Oliver asked dryly.

“It’s not for drinking,” Anatoly said before throwing the contents of the flask onto Oliver.

“What the hell was that for?!” Oliver demanded, annoyed.

Anatoly gestured out the window. Exasperated, Oliver looked at where Anatoly had pointed and saw a police officer standing by a cruiser.

“You will be arrested for public intoxication and disturbing the peace, it will get you to him,” Anatoly explained. “you will be released next day.”

“Okay,” Oliver said with a sigh. “Good thing I have a lot of practice acting like a drunk.”

“One more thing,” Anatoly said and Oliver looked over at him. “Once he is arraigned, Kovar’s man will alert Kovar that you have been asking about him. You will need to make sure he will not.”

“No,” Oliver said as the realization set in. “I’m not going to kill him.”

“Then Kovar will know you are after him and you will never get close to him,” Anatoly pointed out and Oliver growled. “You wish to find Kovar, this is only way.”

Oliver growled, more at the fact that Anatoly was right than anything. If he wanted answers on who had come after his family, he had to make sure that Kovar didn’t know he was coming after him. It wouldn’t matter if one more scum bag died between then and now, Oliver told himself as he got out of the van.

A voice in the back of his head that sounded suspiciously like Slade told him denial wasn’t just a river in Egypt.

As Oliver reached the cruiser, the officer was talking to a woman, his back to Oliver. Playing the part of the drunken tourist, Oliver began slamming his hands onto the hood of the car, playing it like a drum with an idiotic grin on his face.

“ _Move along_ ,” the officer told him.

In response, Oliver kicked out of the headlights, breaking it. Immediately, he was grabbed from behind and slammed onto the hood, his hands behind his back. The easy part was over, now was the hard part, Oliver thought darkly.

SHIELD safe house

Same time

Bobbi was in the gym, working out her frustrations on a sandbag when Dragon walked in.

“What’d that thing ever do to you, huh?” Dragon inquired as she stopped, taking a breath.

“What do you want?” Bobbi asked as she turned to face him.

“Where’d you go yesterday?” Dragon asked after a moment, deciding not to beat around the bush.

“None of your business,” Bobbi said shortly as she unwrapped her hands, moving to head to the shower.

Only for Dragon to block her way.

“It is if it affects the mission. Where did you go yesterday?” Dragon demanded.

“And if it affects the mission, I will tell you. Until then, back off!” Bobbi shouted, shoving him and then storming passed him, heading for her room.

Prison

Late afternoon

Oliver was let into a cell with other prisoners, the door slamming shut behind him. Oliver moved around, quickly spotting his target. He was sitting on a bench, staring down at the floor, not looking at anyone.

“You speak English?” Oliver asked as he sat down across from the man on a bench opposite him.

“Yes,” the man said as he looked up at Oliver. “You’re American?”

“Maybe once upon a time,” Oliver said with a humorless chuckle. “Now I’m…enjoying everything Russia has to offer.”

“I can smell that,” the man said dryly.

“You judge me,” Oliver scoffed. “You’re in this cell to.”

“Yes. A mistake my boss will soon correct,” the man said and Oliver let a beat pass before he spoke again.

“You mean Konstantine Kovar, right?” Oliver asked casually and the man looked up at him sharply.

“How do you know that name?” he demanded.

“The same way I know your name is Pyotr Friedkin. Same way I know that you launder money for Kovar. The same way that I know that’s what you’re doing here,” Oliver said, lowering his voice to a whisper on the last four words.

“How can you know that? Unless,” Pytor paled as Oliver got to his feet. “Are you Bratva?”

In respond, Oliver delivered a sharp jab to Pytor’s neck. It was a move Dragon had taught him a few months after arriving in Russia. Pytor kneeled over, coughing as the guards looked over, confused about what was happening.

“ _Excuse my friend. Allergies,_ ” Oliver lied and the guards went back to doing whatever it was they had been doing before as Oliver sat down next to Pytor.

“I am Bratva. And you are gonna tell me everything I want to know,” Oliver said as Pytor gasped for breath. “Tell me where I can find Kovar.”

“You think you scare me more than him?” Pytor asked once he had stopped coughing.

“I know I don’t. But he’s not in this cell with you,” Oliver pointed out.

“You wouldn’t kill me in front of all of them,” Pytor said confidently.

“I’m not gonna lay a finger on you,” Oliver then paused, hating what he was about to do but knowing he had. “The same can’t be said for Alisa.”

Pytor then looked at him sharply and the look of fear on his face made Oliver’s gut twist uncomfortably. He was sure that he had the same look of fear on his face when whoever they were had threatened his family. But Oliver pushed his guilt down and continued on.

“Or maybe I’ll pay a visit to your wife, Maya as she picks up Alisa from ballet,” Oliver said as Pytor’s face paled. “Someone is going to die. It can be Kovar, it can be your wife, it can be your daughter, but I need you to choose and do it quickly.”

“Kovar is very paranoid, careful,” Pytor finally said, not looking at Oliver. “We never meet in person, only remotely.”

“Remotely how?” Oliver demanded.

“A digital dead drop, on the dark web,” Pytor explained.

“What’s the IP address?” Oliver asked and, when Pytor didn’t answer, Oliver repeated it with more force. “What’s the IP address?”

“108.166.7.161,” Ptyor told him.

“If this information is incorrect, your family will suffer,” Oliver warned him, seeing if he had any reaction.

“How does an American become this, this Bratva devil?” Pytor asked his voice thick with emotion and Oliver swallowed.

“We all do what we have to in order to protect the people we love,” Oliver said lowly as he thought of his mother and sister, Tommy and Laurel, remorse entering his voice. “I’m sorry for what happens next. But Kovar can’t know I’m going after him…no one can know my secret.”

Faster than Pytor could blink, Oliver suddenly had him in a choke hold. With a twist, there was a sickening crack and Oliver let him go. The body fell to the floor as Oliver sat back down, the other prisoners looking confused at what had just happened. Suddenly, the guards were there, asking what had just happened.

“ _He fell. Must be drunk_ ,” Oliver lied easily, hoping this would all be worth it in the end.

SHIELD safe house

Same time

Bobbi was in the kitchen, eating a sandwich when Dragon walked in.

“I’m sorry,” Dragon said and she looked up at him.

“Wow. Is the big bad Richard Dragon apologizing?” she asked sarcastically and he smiled tightly.

“I’m an ass, I know. I get…focused on the mission, laser focus. Sometimes, I let it get the best of me. I’m sorry,” Dragon apologized.

“Look, whatever issues you have, I won’t let it interfere with our ability to work together if you don’t,” Bobbi said and Dragon nodded. “But, just so we’re clear, if you ever pull something like that again, I will kick your ass.”

“I don’t doubt it,” Dragon said with a chuckle and she nodded. “Has Oliver made contact with you today?”

“No, you?” she asked and he shook his head. “When should we start worrying?”

“When we get to that point, I’ll let you know,” Dragon said before walking out.

After he walked out, Bobbi’s phone rang. Pulling it out, she saw that the member Taiana had given her yesterday.

“Taiana?” Bobbi answered.

“Lindsey, I got your test results back. You’re not sick,” Taiana said and the knot that had been in Bobbi’s stomach loosened.

“Then why have I been throwing up?” Bobbi inquired.

“Because you’re expecting,” Taiana said and Bobbi was stunned into silence.

“W-what?” Bobbi chocked out.

“You’re about eight weeks pregnant. Congratulations,” Taiana said as Bobbi stared ahead, struggling to process this.

Prison, next day

Morning

As Oliver’s possessions were returned to him the next day, he stared at the phone, knowing there was only one person he wanted to call.

SHIELD safe house

Same time

Bobbi stared up at the ceiling as she lay in bed, her mind racing. She had tried to sleep but her mind wouldn’t shit up. She was pregnant. With Oliver’s baby. This changed, well, everything. She and Oliver had barely started to define their relationship and now this happened. What would happen after the mission? Would Oliver go home like he planned or would he stay? Would she go with him? All she knew is that she needed to talk to Oliver about this.

She was broken out of her thoughts by her cell phone ringing. Picking it up, she saw it was the number of Oliver’s cell and answered.

“Oliver?” Bobbi answered.

“Hey, did I wake you?” Oliver asked.

“No, I’ve been up for a while,” Bobbi admitted, leaving out the reason why. “How are you?”

“I’m okay,” Oliver said but Bobbi could tell by his voice that he wasn’t being entirely truthful.

“No you’re not. What’s wrong?” Bobbi demanded and Oliver was silent for a minute.

“It’s just been a lot harder than I thought it would be,” Oliver finally admitted. “I had to kill a man today. Not because he was a threat, but because I had to in order to get into the Bratva.”

“I had to kill someone to,” Bobbi admitted and Oliver was silent on the other end. “When you asked me what was wrong a few days, I killed someone on Kovar’s payroll. I didn’t want to, but I had to.”

“It sucks, doesn’t it?” Oliver final said after a moment.

“It does,” Bobbi agreed.

“I have to go, Anatoly is waiting for me. I’ll reach out again when I can,” Oliver said before the line went dead and Bobbi was left staring at the phone, wondering how she was going to tell him.

Russia

Later in the morning

“How was first night in Russian Prison?” Anatoly asked as Oliver got into the van.

“Friedkin gave up the dead drop and now he’s dead. Mission accomplished,” Oliver said flippantly.

“You are being sarcasm, yes?” Anatoly asked and Oliver sighed.

“That man wasn’t a threat Anatoly,” Oliver said. “He didn’t deserve to die.”

“In Bratva, there is no death without purpose. If Friedkin living, he is warning Kovar. If he is warning Kovar, his information, not so good,” Anatoly pointed out.

“That doesn’t mean this was right Anatoly! I almost didn’t kill him,” Oliver admitted.

“But you did. Why?” Anatoly asked.

“Because you told me to,” Oliver said simply.

“You trust us. Now we trust you. Third test over,” Anatoly said as Oliver looked at him blankly. “You get it? You are Bratva now. Family.”

Anatoly pulled out his flask and took a drink. Anatoly then handed it to Oliver and, feeling bile in his mouth, Oliver took a drink, beginning to feel like none of this was worth it.

Bar

Afternoon

That afternoon, Anatoly led Oliver into a bar. It was completely empty, save for three chairs facing another. In two of those chairs sat two men, each occupying one chair on each end, leaving the chair between them empty. Oliver recognized the man on the end as Viktor, Anatoly’s friend who had almost shot him in the bar.

“Anatoly, what is this?” Oliver asked.

“It is time, Oliver,” Anatoly said, gesturing to the chair facing the two men.

Realizing this was some sort of council, Oliver sat down in the chair as Anatoly in the middle chair.

“ _What does Bratva mean to you, Oliver Queen?”_ Viktor asked.

“English will suffice,” Anatoly told him.

“ _Brotherhood_ ,” Oliver said, taking Anatoly back.

“You speak Russian well,” Viktor noted.

“I do okay,” Oliver said evasively.

“Brotherhood is family,” Anatoly said, quick to move this along. “Who are yours?”

“My father is dead,” Oliver started. “My mother and sister-”

“Both dead,” Anatoly cut him off. “Bratva know only their brothers. Do you understand what this means?”

Oliver did, loud and clear. But he knew he had to say it without looking like he was losing his soul in the process.

“I have no family. I have no home. I have no name. _I am Bratva_ ,” Oliver said with an emotionless look on his face.

Anatoly looked at Viktor and the other man, both of who gave a nod. Although Viktor was noticeably more hesitant than the other man, Oliver noticed.

“ _We are Bratva_ ,” Anatoly said as he and Oliver got to their feet. “ _Welcome Kaput._ ”

As he and Anatoly embraced, Oliver tried to shake the feeling that he had just made a deal with the devil.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now the initiation chapters are over, I can start to have a bit more fun with the flashbacks. 
> 
> Yes, Bobbi is pregnant. Not that it wasn’t pretty obvious. But don’t jump for joy. Remember, this is the ‘five years where nothing good happened’.


	6. The trap

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kovar declares war against the Bratva and Oliver is set to retaliate. But nothing is as it seems.

Bar

Morning

It had been a few weeks since Oliver had officially become a member of the Bratva. He had spent it trying to figure out which of his ‘brothers’ was Kovar’s contact but no luck. At the moment, all Oliver could do was follow Anatoly’s lead, let his friend guide him through the waters. Which was how he found himself in a bar, following Anatoly’s instructions as he tried to make a bomb.

“I failed chemistry in High School. Twice,” Oliver grumbled.

“Then learn how I did, in school of, how you say, hard knock,” Anatoly said and Oliver sighed.

“How does this help me get closer to Kovar?” Oliver asked in exasperation.

“You must be like sponge, Oliver. Making bomb, working with electronics, welding metal, Bratva spend off hours learning many trade,” Anatoly explained patiently and Oliver sighed, giving in. “Now, attach one to igniter, other one to battery terminal. And be very careful not to touch circuit board.”

Oliver carefully tried to guide the wire into the designated spots, but something went wrong. The device sparked and Oliver let go, throwing in into a nearby trashcan as everyone braced for impact. It went off, the trashcan vibrating as smoke came out of it. Anatoly got up and put the lid on it, laughing good-naturedly as Oliver stood up, frustrated and embarrassed.

“It’s okay Oliver, I nearly lose finger my first try,” Anatoly said, holding up his finger for emphasis.

Before Oliver could respond, he whipped his head towards the window as he heard the sound of screeching tires. His instincts screaming at him to duck and cover, Oliver tackled Anatoly to the ground a mere second before the people outside started shooting. The window shattered as the patrons, in terror, ducked for cover as well. The liquor behind the bar shattered as the bullets hit them. Then, as quickly as it started, it ended as the people outside got back in their vehicles and left.

“What the hell was that?” Oliver demanded as he and Anatoly sat up, sitting with their back against the bar.

“Declaration of war to Bratva,” Anatoly said grimly.

“From who?!” Oliver exclaimed.

“Your friend. Kovar,” Anatoly said grimly, to Oliver’s shock.

“What?” Oliver asked as he and Anatoly got to their feet and the patrons quickly ran for their lives.

“I told you Kovar has army. Who did you think his enemy was?” Anatoly asked pointedly as he began cleaning up the mess.

In hindsight, it made sense, Oliver realized after a moment. Why Anatoly was so adamant that Bratva was the only way to take on Kovar, it hadn’t just been about helping him, Oliver realized. It had also been about helping the Bratva.

“You should have told me this before,” Oliver said angrily.

“I am telling you now. You wish to get close to Kovar, now you might get your chance,” Anatoly said grimly.

SHIELD safe house

Same time

In her bathroom, Bobbi stood in front of the mirror before slightly lifting up her shirt, revealing her still flat stomach. She placed a hand on her stomach, imagining a point where she would be able to feel her baby kick. Would it be a boy or girl, she wondered. Would they look like her or Oliver, perhaps both of them? She let out a sigh, trying to stop the smile that threatened to cross her face. Despite everything, she was excited. She’d tried not to be, but she was. No matter what happened, she already loved this baby. She just hoped Oliver did as well when she told him.

Bar

Not long after

“Pakhan is going to be here any moment, he will explain everything. Tidy yourself up, show him your respect,” Anatoly said hurriedly as he tried to clean up.

Not even two seconds later, the door opened. Oliver looked over as two men in leather jackets let in a man with greying brown hair in a suit. There was little doubt in Oliver’s mind that this was the Pakhan, the leader of the Bratva.

“Ah, Anatoly! _It is good to see you again, old friend. I wish it were under different circumstances_ ,” the Pakhan said as he approached Anatoly.

“ _The honor is mine, Pakhan Gregor_ ,” Anatoly said as the two embraced. “ _Please, let us drink._ ”

Anatoly poured them both a shot and the two quickly drowned them. Gregor then looked over at him and Oliver felt like he was back on Lain Yu, being interrogated by Fyers.

“ _So this is the American Puppy you have adopted?_ ” Gregor inquired and Oliver narrowed his eyes.

“ _That’s not my name_ ,” Oliver said annoyed and Gregor smirked, amused.

“Ah, the puppy speaks. The infamous Oliver Queen,” Gregor said as he smiled at Oliver’s surprise. “Did you think we would not learn of your past? That we would allow a rich American into our brotherhood without special circumstances?”

“I’ve earned my place here,” Oliver snapped.

“So I hear,” Gregor said coolly.

“Then why don’t you tell me what the hell is going on?!” Oliver snapped.

“Oliver, respect,” Anatoly scolded but Gregor waved him off.

“It’s okay Anatoly. I appreciate his eagerness,” Gregor said as he walked over to Oliver until they were standing face to face. “Kovar is planning on expanding his territory. A casino. Attack was warning to stay away. But we are not going to do that.”

“So what are we planning on doing about it?” Oliver inquired, carefully watching Gregor’s reaction.

“Kovar’s casino will need investors. Such as, say, a rich American,” Gregor said pointedly and Oliver scoffed as he caught on.

“Come on, you want to fund Kovar?” Oliver complained.

“No. You get a meeting with his people. And when you get inside, you’re going to blow up his new casino,” Gregor, said, surprising Oliver.

“This s why you had me working on a bomb,” Oliver muttered as he looked over at Anatoly.

“And you thought learning how to make it was waste of time,” Anatoly said cheekily.

“What do you say Oliver? Read to paly rich American playboy again?” Gregor said as he placed ah and on Oliver’s shoulder in a way that was meant to seem friendly but just made a pit form in Oliver’s stomach.

Gregor reminded him far too much of Fyers when Oliver had first met him. He seemed reasonable; almost friendly….but Oliver’s instincts were screaming at him ‘don’t trust him Oliver’. Oliver just hoped they were wrong for once; otherwise this mission was going to get a lot more complicated.

SHIELD safe house

Late morning

Bobbi was reading a book in the living room as Dragon walked in, a towel thrown over his shoulder after a hard workout.

“Would’ve thought you’d be hitting the gym,” Dragon noted.

“Some of us just like to relax,” Bobbi shot back, not looking up from her book as she fought to keep her voice even.

She felt his gaze on her and she hoped he wasn’t suspicious. Someone who really knew her, like Clint and Natasha, would not have been fooled by her excuse, would have known something was up once she’d stopped working out every day. But she couldn’t tell him, wouldn’t tell him. She wouldn’t tell anyone before she told Oliver.

Before a word could be said, her cell phone, which had been placed on a nearby table, rang. Picking it up, she saw that it was Oliver.

“Oliver,” Bobbi said as she answered and Dragon’s attention snapped towards her.

“Well, it looks like I’m moving up in the Bratva,” Oliver said sarcastically.

“Put him on speaker,” Dragon ordered and Bobbi nodded.

“Hold on, Dragon’s here, I’m gonna put you on speaker,” Bobbi said before she did so.

“Do you have anything new to report?” Dragon asked immediately.

“Well, it turns out the Bratva and Kovar are at war. Some of Kovar’s men shot up the bar Anatoly and I were in this morning,” Oliver said and Bobbi’s heart jumped into her throat. “No one was hurt; it was just a warning from Kovar to stay away from his new casino. Gregor, the Pakhan, wants me to blow it up.”

“You’ve met Gregor?” Dragon asked, interested and Bobbi looked over at you.

“Yeah,” Oliver said and his tone made both the agents feel like he was holding something back.

“What’s going on Oliver?” Bobbi asked.

“I don’t, I just…I get a bad feeling from him is all. Look, I gotta go; I’ll try and report back within the next few hours. Try not to panic if you hear about a casino getting blown up,” Oliver said before hanging up.

Kovar’s casino

Afternoon

Oliver, in a business suit, stood next to a Bratva member whose name he couldn’t remember as they stood in the casino. Then, Kovar’s contact, a dark haired man a few years older than Oliver, walked into the room.

“Mr. Queen, so glad you could make it,” Kovar’s contact said, holding out his hand for Oliver, which he quickly shook. “My employer thanks you for your time.”

“Well, let’s not waste it. Let’s take a look around, shall we?” Oliver asked and Kovar’s contact nodded. “I’m sorry; I didn’t catch your name.”

“You may call me Boris, Boris Volkov,” Boris said as he began leading Oliver and the Bratva member inside. “I know it’s not much to look at right now, but with your investment, we can make it a premiere destination in the area.”

“I don’t doubt it but, listen; you gotta fill this place up with girls! Lots and lots of girls!” Oliver said as he began looking around. “Where there’s money and girls, rich bottom feeders will come. Trust me.”

“All of your requests will be met, Mr. Kovar will see to it,” Boris said and Oliver nodded.

“I’m convinced, but my associate would like to see the blueprints, just to make sure you’re all buttoned up,” Oliver said as he gestured to the Bratva member.

Boris nodded, heading over to the bar and returning with a rolled up set of blueprints.

“I can have copies sent to your hotel,” Boris said as he rolled the blue prints out on a table.

“Good. Show the man the money,” Oliver said, glancing at the Bratva member.

Nodding, the Bratva member pulled out a briefcase and set it on the table. It was opened and Boris eyed the money eagerly.

“This will do nicely. So, if you don’t mind me asking, why have you not returned home? Supposedly, you are big deal back in America,” Boris said, not taking his eyes off the money.

Oliver then quickly grabbed Boris and slammed his head against the table, knocking him out. As Boris went down to the ground, out cold, Oliver picked up the money and placed it on the table, revealing the C4 charges underneath.

“We’ll want to set the charges there and there for maximum damage,” Oliver said, pointing at the designated areas before seeing the look on the Bratva member’s face. “What?”

“You play, what is American word, ‘douche’ very well,” he said and Oliver grimaced.

“Had a lot of practice. Let’s get this over with,” Oliver ordered and he nodded.

Oliver had no sooner placed the charges than he heard someone enter the room. Oliver looked up and saw a big man with sunglasses enter the room. He stood up, prepared to fight him, when he felt something hit him in the shoulder. He looked down, seeing a tranq dart in his shoulder before he passed out. Behind him, the Bratva member pocketed his gun as he got to his feet.

“As the Pakhan promised,” the Bratva member said and the man nodded.

To the Bratva member’s shock, the man then pulled out a gun and fired. The Bratva member flew back, landing on the ground, bleeding profusely from his chest as he stared without seeing.

Later, Oliver came to to see Boris standing near the bar as a grey haired man poured himself a drink. As he realized he was tied to the chair with rope, Oliver saw the Bratva member with his shit stained with blood on the floor. He almost missed what the grey haired man said, his mind still blurry.

“As a child, my mother told me a story. My grandfather, he grew a turnip so large he could not pull it from the ground. He asked his wife from help, together they could not pull it. They asked my uncle, my aunts, everyone in the family and they still could not pull it. I ask her, ‘Mama, Mama, did they ever pull it out of the ground?’ She said ‘Yes. But not until they asked everyone in the village for help’. Every man, woman, and child. Every farmer, every vagabond. All the animals even,” the man said as he walked over and sat down in a chair in front of Oliver.

“Does your story have a point?” Oliver grumbled.

“Yes. That we are nothing without unity. As I got older, I realized it also meant something else: that scum will never amount to anything without help. That includes you and your precious Bratva,” the man said, taking a drink before saying something Oliver had realized from the moment he saw him. “Hello Oliver Queen. My name is Konstantine Kovar.”

Kovar then, to Oliver’s shock, pulled out the cell phone Dragon had given him.

“This phone, I know it was not given to you by the Bratva. So tell me, where does a ‘dead’ American get a cell phone while in Russia?” Kovar inquired.

Oliver did not respond and Kovar shrugged before throwing it. The phone hit the wall and shattered into various pieces upon impact.

SHIELD safe house

Same time

“He said he’d try and make contact in the next few hours. Not only has it been over two hours, but there’s been no news of a casino blowing up,” Bobbi said as she and Dragon argued. “Something like that, we would have heard about. Something had to happen.”

“Let’s not jump to conclusions. Oliver is under deep cover, if we call this wrong, the mission becomes compromised,” Dragon warned her.

Bobbi opened her mouth to argue when his phone vibrated, making a sound that sounded a lot like an arm. He pulled it out of his pocket and paled as he saw the screen.

“Shit,” he swore.

“What is it?” Bobbi asked, trying not to let her mind go to the worst case scenario, that it had something to do with Oliver.

“Looks like you were right. The phone I gave Oliver had a failsafe built in, if it was destroyed or damaged, I would get an alert with Oliver’s last known location. Come on, let’s go,” Dragon ordered, already moving to get his gear.

Bobbi quickly followed, using her training as a specialist to put her fear for Oliver aside. She had worried the whole time that something like this could happen, that something could go wrong. She wished she had been wrong.

Kovar’s casino

Night

Dragon and Bobbi bust in, him wielding gun while she had her Battle Staves out. The made their way through the casino but lowered their weapons, finding it empty.

“It’s clear,” Bobbi said after checking the area.

Dragon nodded as he walked towards a car. He stopped, staring at a body that had been shot a short range. Glancing at wall, he saw the shattered remains of a phone.

“Oliver was here…and if I had to guess, I’d say Kovar was as well,” Dragon said as Bobbi walked in, seeing the body. “Kovar has Oliver now. The mission just got a lot more complicated.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it’s still not too different, but the next few chapters will have much more creative liberties.
> 
> Honestly, the writers didn’t seem to have any idea what the Kovar angle was going to be. First we’re told the Bratva and Kovar are at war, then the next episodes tells us Kovar and Gregor are working together. At least here, I’m able to play it up as Kovar’s contact angle.


	7. The spy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver finally gets answers to his questions from an unreliable narrator. At the same time, Anatoly faces an unpleasant reality.

Bratva Hideout  
Mid-morning

“Pakhan Gregor,” Anatoly called out as he approached Gregor.

“Anatoly,” Gregor greeted, waving his hands and dismissing two of his man.

“Has there been any word on Oliver?” Anatoly asked worried for his friend, who had been missing for a week now.

“I’m afraid not. Anatoly, I know he was your friend, but if we have no news yet…I’m afraid that he is likely dead,” Gregor said, clasping Anatoly on the shoulder in a show of comfort. “I am sorry brother.”

Gregor then walked off, leaving Anatoly standing there alone. He closed his eyes as he felt a crushing wave of grief hit him. Disheartened, Anatoly left the hideout. As he walked out into the streets, Anatoly felt something hit him in the neck. Grabbing it, he pulled it out and saw it was a tranq dart. Anatoly’s vision then blurred before his eyes rolled into the back of his head and it all went black.

Konstantine Kovar’s house  
Late morning

Oliver was not having a good week. After being captured by Kovar, he’d been stuffed in what he’d deemed was Kovar’s dungeon before being tortured all weak. But he hadn’t broken; he would never break to Kovar. When he thought about breaking, he thought of his family and it gave him strength. He would endure, for them.

Today, he was taken with a bag over his head and his hands bound into a room. Forced to sit in a chair, the bag was removed from his head and his binds were cut. Blinking as his eyes adjusted to the light, he found he was in a dining room that was only slightly less impressive than the Queen Mansion’s, sitting at one end of a long table. And at the other end, cutting into some meat with a knife, was Kovar.

“Mr. Queen, hello,” Kovar greeted, picking up a glass and taking a drink as Oliver glared at him hatefully. “I thought you might enjoy a break in my men’s questioning.”

Seeing a steak knife in reaching distance, Oliver reached for it but found two pistols aimed at his head.

“I trust you to show the proper manners,” Kovar said smugly.

Oliver glowered at him as Kovar gestured for his men to step back.

“Go on, eat,” Kovar said as though they were two friends having a business dinner.

“I’m fine,” Oliver almost growled.

“Suit yourself,” Kovar shrugged before taking a bite of his food. “I must confess, you’ve become something of a fascination to me. Oliver Queen, Starling City’s favorite son. Presumed dead after a maritime accident three years ago.”

“What do you want from me?” Oliver sneered.

“Answers. You tried to blow up my casino. Now, my sources tell me you’ve become Bratva. You seem quite fixated on me. And yet, I do not believe our paths have ever crossed,” Kovar said, seeming genuinely puzzled. “What have I done that could possibly inspire such hatred?”

“Eight months ago, I received a threat against my family. I’ve tracked that threat all the way to you,” Oliver said angrily.

“Now why would I want to harm your family?” Kovar asked.

“A better question is why a Russian leader has ties to the Chinese Triad,” Oliver said bluntly and Kovar was silent for a moment.

“The world is a complex place Mr. Queen,” Kovar finally said. “For example…”

Kovar got to his feet, walked over to Oliver’s side of the table, and threw down a file. Wearily, Oliver opened it up to see Pyotr Friedkin’s picture staring up at him.

“You recognize this man?” Kovar asked.

“Never seen him before,” Oliver lied even as he remembered snapping Pytor’s neck.

“Except in jail, when you snapped his neck because the Bratva told you to,” Kovar said bluntly. “Because they told you it would help to get to me. “A convenient lie so they could steal his business. You kill this man and give the IP address of a black site on the dark web to the Bratva, which they now control, just as they control you.”

“No one controls me,” Oliver sneered and Kovar chuckled.

“If that is what you choose to believe. You think of me as a monster but the rest of Russia sees me as an honest business man. The truth, Mr. Queen, is merely a matter of perspective,” Kovar said, placing his hand near Oliver’s utensils. 

Seeing an opportunity, Oliver grabbed the steak knife and quickly stabbed Kovar’s hand. Kovar cried out in pain as his men pulled their guns on Oliver, but Oliver yanked the knife out and grabbed Kovar’s shoulder, jumping to his feet and getting behind Kovar, putting the knife at Kovar’s neck. Everyone stopped; realizing the position Oliver had put them in.

“Like I said, no one controls me,” Oliver said darkly.

Unspecified location  
Same time

Anatoly groaned as he came to, blinking, his vision blurry at first. He was tied to a chair, his hands and legs bound, he realized. And sitting a chair not far from him was a dark haired man.

“Knyazev,” Dragon greeted him calmly.

“Who are you? Where am I?” Anatoly demanded.

“Calm down, I’m not looking for trouble. I just wanted to talk and I figured that I couldn’t walk up to you and do that. I’m Richard Dragon, Agent of SHIELD,” Dragon said and Anatoly stared at him incredulously.

“SHIELD. What does SHIELD want with me?” Anatoly asked wearily.

“Well it’s not actually you we want. I’m here to talk about Konstantine Kovar. Specifically, what happened to your friend, Oliver Queen,” Dragon explained.

Kovar’s mansion  
Same time

“Twitch and I will open your throat,” Oliver said in a growl that would have made Slade proud. “Tell your men to put their guns down.”

“Do as he says,” Kovar said after a moment of considering the situation. “For now.”

Reluctantly, Kovar’s men lowered their guns to the table. Oliver immediately shoved Kovar forward, picking up one of the guns as they made their way towards the door. He aimed the gun at Kovar’s men while he still had the knife at Kover’s neck.

“Tell me, who else is involved? Which lowlife did you convince to turn on the Bratva?” Oliver demanded and Kovar chuckled.

“I see, so you know about that. You would not believe me if I told you,” Kovar chuckled.

“Then tell me something else. Does this end with you or are there more people involved?” Oliver demanded. “I know about this shadow organization, are you part of it?”

“Shadow organization? Oh Mr. Queen, are you really so desperate for answers you will believe a ghost story?” Kovar chuckled. “Tell me, what is more likely? That there is some shadow organization that is manipulating events throughout history? Or that the Chinese Triad takes joy in psychological warfare, even against their own allies?” 

The pair rounded a corner for Oliver to find himself surrounded by Kovar’s men from all side, all with guns pointed at him.

“Or that you are too weak to know the difference?” Kovar finished smugly.

Unspecified location  
Same time

“Oliver? What does Oliver have to with this?” Anatoly asked confused.

“Everything. SHIELD has been watching Kovar for the last few months. We believe that Kovar has a man on the inside in the Bratva,” Dragon explained and Anatoly’s face hardened.

“No brother would ever betray their brothers,” Anatoly said coldly. 

“You sure about that? Gregor, he asked Oliver to blow up Kovar’s casino and Oliver goes missing during the assignment. It’s a very strange that Kovar had one Bratva killed while Oliver was captured, isn’t it?” Dragon asked and Anatoly narrowed his eyes.

“What are you getting at?” Anatoly demanded.

“It’s no secret within the Bratva that Oliver only joined to get close to Kovar. What if this was part of a trap so Kovar could capture Oliver?” Dragon inquired.

“That’s impossible. That would mean…” Anatoly trailed off, his blood running cold as he realized what Dragon was implying.

“We think there’s a traitor in the Bratva. What if the traitor… is Gregor?” Dragon asked.

Kovar’s house  
Same time

Oliver’s weapons were taken for him and he was restrained. However, he quickly broke free, throwing the guards to the ground. As the other guards took aim, Kovar held up a hand, signally them to stop.

“Enough. I will deal with Mr. Queen myself,” Kovar said angrily.

The guards stepped aside as Oliver and Kovar rushed each other. They began exchanging blows but Oliver was much more exhausted than Kovar, after a weak of being held captive and tortured. Kovar grabbed him and tossed him to the floor, Oliver rolling as he hit the floor. But, despite every instinct in him begging for him to stay down, Oliver managed to pull himself to his feet. They two of them then continued trading blows and Oliver wasn’t sure how much more of this he could take. Oliver ducked a paunch from Kovar before he landed a punch to Kovar’s face. Furious, Kovar sent a powerful punch to Oliver’s chest and sent him down to the floor before Kovar grabbed Oliver by the shirt as someone walked in.

“Kovar, what is the meaning of this?” 

Shocked, Oliver lifted his head up to see Gregor had walked in, followed by two Bratva guards.

“Mr. Queen and I were having a discussion about the truth,” Kovar said vaguely and Gregor shrugged.

“Should I come back later?” Gregor asked dryly.

“No, I think we’re finished here,” Kovar said before looking back at Oliver. “I told you Mr. Queen, you would not believe me if I told you. You needed to see it with your own eyes.”

Oliver did not respond, simply stared at Gregor as the realization hit him. He had expected it to be some low level Brava member but Kovar’s contact, his spy…was Gregor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is the point where I really start to have fun with the flashbacks, so buckle up. It’s going to be a wild ride.


	8. Anatoly's choice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anatoly is put in a moral dilemma as Gregor gives Olvier an ultimatum.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, it’s been a whole month since I updated. I am so sorry it took so long; I did not intend to go so long without updating. I will try to update more in the future.
> 
> Before we begin, I would like to address something. We recently lost a legend. Legendary comic book writer Dennis O'Neil, who revolutionized Batman and Green Arrow, as well as gave us the Green Arrow/Black Canary romance, passed away a few days ago. Rest in Peace Dennis O'Neil.

Unspecified location  
Mid-morning

“No,” Anatoly said immediately in denial. “Gregor is Pakhan, he would not betray Bratva.” 

“You don’t find it a bit odd that Oliver just happens to go missing after Gregor sends him on a mission to send a message to Kovar?” Dragon asked with a raised eyebrow and saw doubt enter Anatoly’s eyes. “I get it, the Bratva is everything to you, and you can’t even entertain the thought that Gregor is a traitor. But the thing is if you don’t, then your friend Oliver Queen could very well die.”

As Anatoly wrestled with this, Dragon felt his phone vibrate. He pulled it out and looked at the message Bobbi had sent him. He stared at it for a moment before getting up and walking towards Anatoly. Dragon held out his phone so Anatoly could see what Bobbi had sent him.

It was a photo of Gregor, with some men, escorting Oliver off Kovar’s property. From the look on Oliver’s face, as well as the state of him, he did not look like he was going willingly.

“This was taken by another agent I have stationed outside Kovar’s mansion. Tell me, does Oliver look like he’s happy to see Gregor?” Dragon asked and Anatoly remained silent. “From where I stand, he looks like he would rather go back to Kovar.”

Dragon then pocketed his phone and pulled out a small knife. Anatoly tensed as Dragon walked behind him, thinking this was the end. But Dragon simply cut the ropes around his hands.

“You don’t trust me. I understand, it’s easier to think I’m lying rather than to believe that Gregor betrayed you,” Dragon said as he cut the binds around Anatoly’s legs. “Go back to your brothers. If I’m lying, Gregor will have brought Oliver back, no doubt managed a daring rescue. If not…”

He didn’t answer but Anatoly knew what he was going to say. If Gregor did not return with Oliver, it was because he was with Kovar.

“Here,” Dragon put a phone in Anatoly’s hand. “It’s yours, my number is programed in. Once you know I’m telling the truth, give me a call.”

Bratva safe hose  
Afternoon

A bag was removed from Oliver’s head the second time that day. Only this time, he found himself in a dark basement, his hands bound to a chair. Gregor stood in front of him and Oliver glared up at him angrily. 

“I expected one of the captains, maybe one of your newer recruits. But you, I should have seen this coming,” Oliver sneered.

“My captains warned me against letting an American into the Bratva. But I thought you could be useful. It appears we were both wrong,” Gregor noted.

“How could you betray the Bratva this way?” Oliver asked angrily.

“My alliance with Kovar benefits Bratva,” Gregor dismissed.

“You mean it benefits you,” Oliver sneered and Gregor smiled thinly.

“Me, Bratva, it is all the same. I am Pakhan, what benefits me benefits Bratva. If anything betrays Bratva, it is your vendetta. You joined Bratva to get to Kovar, yes? You used us,” Gregor sneered.

“That is not how it happened and you know it,” Oliver snapped.

“I am Pakhan! If I say that’s how it happened, it is how it happened! My word is law!” Gregor exploded and Oliver sneered. “Now, I will have your obedience Oliver Queen. Even if I have to beat it into of you.”

Gregor then slugged Oliver and his head whipped to the side.

SHIELD safe house  
Same time

“You’re sure this will be enough to make Knyazev flip on Kovar?” Bobbi asked as she paced back and forth. 

“Betrayal in the Bratva is not tolerated. Once he knows that Gregor is on Kovar’s payroll, Knyazev will do everything he can to expose him and save Oliver. Then, we can save your boyfriend,” Dragon assured her.

Bobbi nodded reluctantly, knowing he was right. It was flawless logic really, since, according to Oliver, Anatoly was man of honor. Still, she couldn’t help but feel something was going to go horribly wrong. 

Bratva hideout  
Same time

Anatoly walked into the room, his mind whirling with everything Dragon had told him. He wanted to just dismiss it all but…it made sense, as much as Anatoly wished otherwise. And that photo had been pretty damning.

Shaking his head, Anatoly saw Viktor and walked over, hoping that Viktor would tell him something, anything, that would disprove Dragon’s accusations.

“Viktor, has the Pakhan been in?” Anatoly asked, not beating around the bush.

“He went out, said he had business to attend,” Gregor said and Anatoly nodded, looking troubled. “Is everything alright?”

“Just…has there been word on Oliver?” Anatoly asked quietly.

“I’m afraid not. I am sorry, but it appears that Oliver is likely dead,” Viktor said gently.

Anatoly felt his face fall, for more than one reason. Dragon was right, Gregor was with Kovar. Feeling the rage of betrayal fill him, Anatoly turned and walked out. He had a call to make.

SHIELD safe house  
Not long after

Dragon’s phone rang and, with a smirk, he pulled it out before he answered.

“You were right. Gregor is with Kovar,” Anatoly said gruffly in answer.

“You can deal with your feelings of betrayal later. Oliver’s life is in danger. Tell me, is there anywhere Gregor would have taken him?” Dragon asked and Anatoly was silent for a moment.

“There is a place, on east side of Russia. Bratva only use it in emergencies, no one would think to look for Oliver there,” Anatoly said. “We will meet, I will show you.”

“No. I understand your desire for revenge, but we need someone on the inside. Kovar is still the target of my mission. You say close to Gregor, and when the time comes, you’ll be the one to kill him,” Dragon promised and Anatoly was silent for a moment. 

“Very well,” Anatoly agreed finally. “But no other Bratva die but Gregor.”

“You have my word,” Dragon promised. 

Unspecified location  
Later in the afternoon 

Oliver tasted blood in his mouth, sure his lip was busted. Kovar had not gone easy on his him. His face hurt all over. Kovar knew how to torture someone without breaking his nose, that was for sure.

“You have only been here a few months, yet you think you already know everything. Did it not occur to you that I could be playing Kovar?” Gregor asked.

“I don’t believe you,” Oliver said and Gregor scoffed.

“Of course you don’t. You are fixated on obsession with Kovar. He told me everything, how this is about your family,” Gregor said and Oliver glared at him. “Let me ask you something: Do you think your mother and sister would be happy to see you if they knew what you had done in their names?”

Oliver opened and closed his mouth but had no answer. In truth, Oliver had never stopped to think what would happen once he returned home. He had been so fixated on that goal he never stopped to think of the after, of what returning home would actually mean.

“I think they will fear you, see you as monster,” Gregor said and Oliver almost winced at the thought. “Bratva would never judge you for the things you have done. I can give you a family Oliver. One who would welcome you as brother rather than brand you a monster. I just need your obedience.”

“Go to hell,” Oliver sneered and Gregor sighed.

“Very well,” Gregor said he picked up a gun and took aim at Oliver’s head. “If you will not join me, you will die.”

Oliver was sure he was going to die then and there. There was no Slade, Shado, Yao-Fei, Clint or Natasha to save him this time. What he was sure was his last thought was of Moira and Thea before something happened.

Upstairs, the sounds of gunshots and the screams of Gregor’s men was heard. Upstairs, Dragon grabbed one of Gregor’s men and threw him against the wall, knocking him out as Bobbi whirled her Battle Staves. She struck two of Gregor’s men, electrifying them. They cried out in pain as Dragon saw two more enter behind Bobbi. He pulled out his gun and fired, getting them in non-fatal ways. They went down, groaning in pain as Dragon and Bobbi stood victorious.

“Be grateful I have a promise to keep,” Dragon told them gruffly.

Downstairs, Gregor had untied Oliver and pulled him to his feet. He pushed Oliver in front of him with his arm over Oliver’s shoulder, planning on using Oliver as a human shield. He made a move towards the stairs when the door burst open. A shot was fired and Gregor cried out. He dropped the gun, holding his wounded shoulder before Bobbi rushed in. With a hit to his face with her Stave, Gregor went down, out cold.

As she turned to Oliver, he fell to his knees but she was there to catch.

“Oliver, are you okay? Oliver?” Bobbi asked but he didn’t respond, losing consciousness quickly after.

“Let’s get him out of here,” Dragon said as he lowered the gun to his side. “We can regroup as he recovers.”


	9. Kovar's retaliation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Dragon checks out another lead, Kovar decides to handle Oliver himself. Bobbi makes a world changing confession to Oliver.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize that it has been so long since I updated last, I suffered from a bit of writers block. But I’m over that, I know exactly where this is going to go and how to get there, now it’s just about finding the tie to write it. 
> 
> To all those affected by the events at Nashville, my thoughts and prayers are with you. Stay strong.

SHIELD safe house  
Mid afternoon 

When Oliver opened his eyes, he almost groaned at the pain. He hurt all over. As he tried to sit up, a hand gently pushed him back.

“Take it easy,” Bobbi said gently as his vision cleared and he was able to see her as she stood over him.

It took him a moment for him to realize that he was in his bed in the SHIELD safe house they had been living in. Bobbi was standing over his bed, a chair she had been sitting in right behind her. As he processed this, it all came back: Kovar, Gregor.

“You got me out,” Oliver said after a moment and Bobbi nodded.

“We’ve been tracking you all week,” Bobbi explained.

“Gregor, he’s-”

“Kovar’s man on the inside, we know,” Bobbi assured him.

“So why are we just standing here then?” Oliver demanded as he sat up in bed. “If we know Gregor is the mole, why don’t we just bring him in? Between the three of us, I’m pretty sure that we can get answers out of him.”

“If only it were that easy,” Dragon said as he entered the room leaning against the doorframe. “How are you feeling Oliver?”

“Pissed. So why isn’t it that easy?” Oliver demanded.

“Because Gregor has an army round him. You’re not exactly in the best shape right now and it would take at least a week for SHIELD to send back up. We have to be smart about this,” Dragon said and the pair saw Oliver silently fuming. “But we do have some good news.”

“Your friend, Anatoly, he knows about Gregor,” Bobbi said and Oliver stared.

“When we realized you’d been compromised, it didn’t take us long to figure out Gregor set you up. We used that to turn Knyazev. He’s our new man on the inside,” Dragon explained. “And he might have given us a new lead.”

“What?” Oliver asked eagerly.

“Every other week, Gregor meets with an accountant at a restaurant downtown. Supposedly to work out Bratva finances,” Dragon explained.

“You think it’s more than that,” Bobbi realized and Dragon shrugged.

“Maybe not, but can’t hurt to check him out. I have an address so I‘m gonna go check this guy out. I’ll be in touch. Don’t anything stupid,” Dragon told Oliver before walking out.

“Well, he’s as charming as ever,” Oliver said sarcastically. 

Kovar’s house  
Same time

“So, I release Oliver Queen into your custody, you torture him, and then lose him. Is that right?” Kovar asked as he poured a drink, turning to face Gregor.

“I did not lose him. Oliver has friends apparently, they are skilled,” Gregor said and Kovar frowned.

“And he knows you and I are working together. He could ruin everything if he is able to convince the Bratva of that,” Kovar said pointedly.

Before Gregor could respond, Kovar’s phone rang. Kovar picked it and answered. Gregor couldn’t hear what the person on the other end said, but from the smirk that crossed Kovar’s face, it was apparently good news.

“It matters not,” Kovar said as he put the down. “I will deal with Oliver Queen and his allies myself.”

SHIELD safe house  
Not long after

After getting out of the shower, Oliver dressed himself. He winced slightly as he put on a new shirt, his wounds from Kovar and Gregor’s torture acting up.

“You alright?” Bobbi asked from where she sat on the bed.

“I’ve lived through worse,” Oliver assured her as he buttoned his shirt.

“Where’d you get the scars on your back?” Bobbi asked after a moment.

“Part of the Bratva initiation process. I guess I’ll get to pay Gregor back for that when this is over,” Oliver noted.

“What happens then?” Bobbi asked and he looked back at her in confusion. “What do you plan to after the mission is over? If Kovar is as deep as it goes?”

“Head back to Starling City I guess. There are things I need to do back home,” Oliver said as he thought of his father’s message.

“Oh,” Bobbi said and Oliver could hear the strange note in her voice.

“Everything alright?” Oliver asked and she was silent for a few moments.

“I have to tell you something. Something I found out while you were with the Bratva,” Bobbi said, standing up and walking away from him as she paced. “I’ve been trying to figure out how to tell you. And I want you to know that I don’t expect anything from you, you don’t have to be involved if you don’t want to be.”

“Bobbi,” Oliver said and brought her out of her panicked ramblings. “What are you talking about?”

“Okay,” Bobbi said, taking a deep breath. “This isn’t easy for me to say but…I’m pregnant. With your baby.”

Russia  
Same time

Gregor’s accountant had entered his house, surrounded by a team of bodyguards. Suddenly, a shot rang out and one of the bodyguards dropped, a bullet wound in his side as he bled out. One of the guards grabbed Gregor’s accountant and tried to run from the room but another shot took the guard out, this one getting him in the chest. Dragon jumped down, firing off two more rounds, taking out some of the guards before engaging the others in hand to hand. He knocked one to the floor with a well-placed jab before grabbing another, using him as a human shield as the last guard opened fire. The bullets killed the guard and Dragon shoved the body towards the remaining guard. The guard stumbled back as the body hit him before Dragon slugged him, knocking him out and taking his gun. 

As Gregor’s accountant reaches a door, a bullet hit the wall, mere inches from his head.

“Move, and next time I won’t miss,” Dragon walked as he walked up behind him, the gun aimed at his head. “You’re the guy who does Gregor’s finances. Show me.”

“I can’t. He’ll kill me,” the accountant said terrified.

Dragon fired and the accountant cried out in pain. He went down to the floor, clutching his bleeding arm as he looked up at Dragon terrified.

“What do you think I’m gonna do if you don’t cooperate?” Dragon asked pointedly.

SHIELD safe house  
Night

Oliver and Bobbi sat on Olive’s bed, a tense silence between them. Oliver wanted to say something, anything; but he honestly didn’t know what to say. 

Bobbi being pregnant had not been something he saw coming. They had been careful after all. His mind was just racing with the thought of it. 

What would happen now, he wondered. Could he go back to Starling City and expect Bobbi to come with him? Would they have joint custody? Somehow, Oliver didn’t see two SHIELD agents raising a kid together going well.

“Like I said, I don’t expect anything from you,” Bobbi said, breaking Oliver out of his thoughts. “You don’t have to be involved if you don’t want to be.”

“It’s my kid, of course I want to be involved,” Oliver said immediately and the knot in Bobbi’s stomach loosened. “I just…wasn’t expecting this.”

“I wasn’t looking to get pregnant on a mission either, but I did and we are. So…how do you feel about this?” Bobbi finally asked what had been on her mind since she had found out she was expecting.

“It’s a mile passed complicated…but I’m all in. The good, the bad, all of it,” Oliver said earnestly, meaning every word. 

“And your dad’s list?” Bobbi asked, remembering the message from Robert she had walked in on. “I know that’s why you want to go back to Starling City.”

“The list and the people on it aren’t going anywhere,” Oliver pointed out. “I can put off going home for a few years.”

“You would do that?” Bobbi said surprised, knowing how much going home to meant to him. “But your friends, your family.”

“Right now, you and the baby are what are important to me. I don’t know what kind of future we may have but I want to find out. Because…I am falling madly in love with you,” Oliver finally said what he hadn’t had the courage to say for months.

For a moment, Bobbi was silent. Then she grabbed Oliver by his shirt and pulled him into a passionate kiss. Oliver eagerly returned the kiss as he wrapped him arms around her. She pulled him down on top of her as they fell into the bed. However, they both pulled back after a moment, sensing something was off.

“Did you hear something?” Oliver asked as he let her go.

“Yes, but I’m not sure what,” Bobbi said as they both got to their feet.

Outside the safe house, Dragon was driving back in a car. He was almost to the house until, to his shock, an explosion rocked the area and his car was flipped over by the force it.   
It landed on the hood, the windows shattering. Dragon managed to crawl out the window and looked towards the house. Or what had once been the house, as now it was a flaming crater of rubble.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry to come back with a rather short chapter, but the following chapters will be longer, promise.


	10. Tragedy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kovar's attack has ramifications that makes it personal for Oliver.

At the sight of what had once been a safe house, now there was only a flaming pile of debris. Dragon approached, looking around for any sign of Oliver or Bobbi but didn’t find any.

“Oliver? Bobbi?” he called out.

Hearing a pained grunt, Dragon’s head whipped to the side, trying to locate the source. Walking a few feet away, Dragon found Oliver on the ground. His clothes burned in several places, barely conscious. But he was alive. Dragon knelt down, throwing Oliver’s arm over his shoulder as he helped Oliver stand. Walking further into the debris, he looked around for Bobbi, realizing the two had to have been near each other.

It didn’t take him long to find her. She was in worse shape than Oliver, out cold, blood on her face, and a red stain on her suit in the stomach area. 

Kovar’s house, next day  
Morning

“No remains were found sir,” one of Kovar’s men informed him as Kovar sat at his desk, looking displeased.

“Then he is still alive,” Kovar said with certainty. 

“Sir, with all due respect, how is it possible Oliver Queen survived the attack?” his man asked.

“I am beginning to realize that nothing is impossible with him,” Kovar said grimly. “Contact Gregor, tell him to find Oliver Queen at all costs.”

Russia  
Later in the morning

Oliver groaned as he came to, pain shooting through his back and arms. As he opened his eyes, he saw that he was in a room he didn’t recognize. It was a mostly barren room with white walls, paint peeling off. As he sat up, a voice to the left of him spoke up.

“How are you feeling?”

Oliver looked over to see Dragon nearby, sitting in a chair.

“What happened?” Oliver said almost immediately.

“Kovar. I was just getting back when the safe house blew. He found out somehow and tried to take us out, I only avoided getting caught up in it because I was out,” Dragon explained.

“Bobbi, where’s Bobbi?” Oliver asked alarmed as it all came back to him. 

“She’s in worse shape than you, she’s still getting checked out,” Dragon explained.

“I thought you said we didn’t have any other SHIELD agents in Russia,” Oliver said.

“We don’t. This clinic is run by a woman Bobbi saved some months back. She didn’t ask too many questions when I showed up with you two,” Dragon explained.

“Where is she?” Oliver demanded as he got out of bed, shaking off the pain in his back and arms.

“Oliver, you’ve got third degree burns on your back and arms, take it easy,” Dragon said as he tried to make Oliver sit back in bed but Oliver violently pushed him away.

“I’ll take it easy once I see Bobbi,” Oliver snapped.

Before the situation could escalate the door to the room opened and a dark haired woman walked in. She paused upon seeing Oliver out of bed.

“You have bad burns. You should not be out of bed,” she scolded in accented English.

“He’s a little worried about Lindsey,” Dragon said smoothly and she nodded.

“She is still unconscious but will make a full recovery,” she said and the knot in Oliver’s stomach loosened.

But it did not disappear. But there was another reason for his worry. And at that moment, he did not care if Dragon knew or not.

“And the baby?” Oliver demanded.

Dragon was clearly taken back by this but Oliver paid him no mind. The woman looked at him sadly, a pit of dread forming in Oliver’s stomach as he saw the answer on her face.

“I am sorry. Whatever happened…Lindsey miscarried,” she said kindly. 

Oliver sat down on the bed, feeling numb to everything. Oliver was vaguely aware of the woman walking out of the room and Dragon opening and closing his mouth several times but said nothing. For the first time, it seemed Dagon had no idea what to say.

Dragon’s phone suddenly rang. Pulling it out, he muttered an excuse and walked out of the room, leaving Oliver alone with his thoughts.

Out in the hall, Dragon answered the phone.

“You have news Knyazev?”

“Gregor has declared Oliver a traitor and that he is to be brought in to face Bratva justice. Dead or alive, it does not matter,” Anatoly explained and Dragon grimaced. “What has happened?”

“Kovar tried to take out Oliver last night. It didn’t work,” Dragon quickly assured Anatoly. “But Kovar must be getting desperate and so he’s putting pressure on Gregor to find Oliver.”

“Things are coming to dangerous head,” Anatoly noted grimly.

“Yeah, they are. But I think I have a lead, one that could expose Gregor. Call all the Bratva Captains you trust for a meeting tonight. Oliver will meet you here,” Dragon said before hanging up.

Dragon reentered Oliver’s room, finding Oliver in the exact same position he was in when he left. He paused, trying to find the words before speaking again.

“I won’t pretend to know how you’re feeling. I’ve never lost a child,” Dragon finally said.

“I had barely even been able to wrap my head around the idea and now…now it’s gone,” Oliver said lowly.

“And the man responsible is still out there,” Dragon said and Oliver looked up at him. “My lead panned out. Gregor gets over sixty thousand rubles from Kovar each month in exchange for his services. But Gregor is careful, so it won’t show up on his bank accounts. But it will show up on Kovar’s.”

“So how do we prove it?” Oliver asked after a moment.

“That’s the tricky part. Kovar is even more careful. Nothing short of breaking into his house to find the information on his computer will get us the Intel we need,” Dragon said and Oliver stared at him incredulously for a moment.

“So, your suggestion is to break into the house of the guy who wants us dead and download the information we need of his computer, is that right?” Oliver said after a moment.

“It sounds crazy, I know. But there’s no other way Oliver. All that anger, all that grief you’re feeling, I need you to channel it all at Kovar. What do you say Oliver? You have it in you?” Dragon asked and Oliver tightened his hands into fists.

“Yeah…I have it in me,” Oliver said with a dark look on his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter wasn’t as long as I had originally hoped but the shift from that last scene to the next one felt rushed and snoopy, so the next chapter, as a result, will be longer than I thought. 
> 
> As some of you probably expected, Oliver and Bobbi’s baby tragically died from Kovar’s attack. This is going to serve as the first moment that is going to push Oliver towards the direction of the man we first met in the pilot.


	11. Gregor exposed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reeling from the loss of his child, Oliver obsessively tries to expose Kovar. Oliver is forced to inform Bobbi of er miscarriage.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As promised, this chapter is longer. Hope you guys enjoy it.

Russia

Afternoon

Oliver sat in a chair by Bobbi’s bedside, watching her sleep. She looked peaceful, but Oliver knew that wouldn’t last. Once she woke up, he’d have to tell that the baby…Oliver couldn’t even bring himself to think it. So how could he tell her?

The door opened and Oliver looked up as Dragon walked into the room. Dragoon was silent, looking at Bobbi as Oliver looked back towards her as well.

“Don’t tell her,” Oliver said after a moment. “Whatever happens…she should hear it from me.”

“Of course,” Dragon said and it was silent for a moment. “I know you’re worried about how she’ll react. But Bobbi’s tough, she can handle it. It’ll destroy her for a while, but she can handle it.”

Oliver was silent, staring at Bobbi as he wondered if Dragon was right. Dragon, sensing Oliver wanted to be alone with Bobbi, exited the room. As if she sensed they were alone, Bobbi stirred, opening her eyes.

“Hey,” Oliver said as he got to his feet, walking over to her.

“Oliver,” Bobbi said groggily, her mind still not fully awake. “What happened?”

“What’s the last thing you remember?” Oliver asked after a moment, deciding he needed to know what she remembered before he broke the news to her.

“We were at the safe house, then… nothing. What happened?” Bobbi asked as she felt the aches all over her body.

“Kovar. Somehow, he found out where we were, he bombed the safe house,” Oliver explained as something occurred to Bobbi.

“The baby. Is the baby alright?” Bobbi asked urgently, trying to sit up as pain shot through her body.

“You need to take it easy,” Oliver said as he gently pushed her back into bed.

“Stop avoiding the question. Is the baby alright?” Bobbi demanded hotly.

Oliver tried to find the words, but apparently he didn’t need to. Bobbi saw the look on his face and the truth washed over her like a bucket of cold water.

“No, no,” Bobbi said in denial, tears prickling at the corner of her eyes.

“I’m sorry,” Oliver said his voice gruff with emotion. “The blast, it caused you to miscarriage. There was nothing any of us could do.”

Bobbi just stared ahead for a few moments, no sign of any emotion on her face. As Oliver sat down next to her and pulled her into his arms, the dam broke. She buried her head in his shoulder, clinging to him as she let out heart wrenching wails. As she sobbed, Oliver stroked her back, hoping it offered her some sort of comfort as he made a vow.

He couldn’t bring their child back, but he would make sure that Kovar and Gregor paid for what they had done.

Suddenly, he understood Slade Wilson a lot more.

Kovar’s house

Night

“You ready for this?” Dragon as he and Oliver stood in the shadow, hidden from the view of Kovar’s security cameras.

“You have no idea,” Oliver said darkly as he clutched his bow tightly. “What do you want me to do?”

“Use this,” Dragon said as he reached into the duffle bag he had brought with him and pulled out an arrow. “It’s a special arrow that was designed for something just like this. It will short out the alarms and keep the security cameras on constant replay for five minutes. More than enough time for us to get in and get out, provided you hit near the camera on the front porch. Think you can make the shot?”

“Please,” Oliver scoffed as he took the arrow.

Oliver notched the arrow in his bow and took aim. It was silent for a moment as Oliver breathed, letting the rest of the world fall away. Then, he let go of the draw string. The arrow flew out, hitting the wall of the house right next to the security camera.

“Okay, good. Let’s go,” Dragon said as they both rushed towards the front door.

Dragon placed a small device on the lock and, after a moment, there was a sound like a shock and the lock clicked. Dragon opened the door and the pair rushed inside.

Dragon, having studied the plans of the house, was easily able to lead them to Kovar’s study. A guard was standing in front of it. Before Dragon could even think of a plan, Oliver notched an arrow and fired. It hit the guard in the chest, killing him instantly.

“Oliver,” Dragon hissed as the man fell to the floor.

“He works for Kovar,” Oliver said without remorse as he made his way towards Kovar’s study.

Growling in anger, Dragon followed Oliver. They entered Kovar’s study and Dragon went right to Kovar’s computer. Pulling a flash drive out of his pocket, Dragon put it in.

“What are you doing?” Oliver asked in confusion.

“Kovar’s computer is protected by a password. This is gonna bypass it,” Dragon said as the drive began trying to decipher the pass word.

After a few moments, Dragon was in and he immediately started typing. Entering Kovar’s bank records, a smirked crossed his face.

“Bingo,” Dragon muttered.

Bratva hideout

Later

“We are all here Anatoly,” Viktor said as he, Anatoly and several other captains stood in a backroom of the bar. “What is the meaning of this?”

As Anatoly began to doubt that Olive would show, the door opened and Oliver walked through, holding a laptop under his arm.

“Queen,” Viktor said as he and every captain but Anatoly said as they all took out a gun an aimed at Oliver. “You were a fool to come back.”

“Maybe, but there’s something you need to know about the Bratva,” Oliver said.

“And why should we trust you?” one of the captains asked.

“Give me thirty seconds to talk. You don’t like what I have to say, shoot me,” Oliver offered.

Viktor and the other captains exchanged uncertainly glances before they all lowered their weapons.

“The floor is yours Oliver,” Anatoly said as Oliver raised the laptop.

“Gregor has been playing all of us. This laptop is full of bank transactions from Kovar to Gregor, over sixty million rubles worth,” Oliver explained.

“Lies!” One of the captains sneered. “Gregor is Pakhan, he would never betray us!”

“Don’t believe me, see for yourselves,” Oliver said as he opened the laptop and handed it to Viktor, who swore in Russian as he saw the transactions.

“It is true,” Viktor said in shock.

“Gregor doesn’t care about the Bratva; he’s just using it to benefit him. When I was getting too close, he handed me over to Kovar and had one of our brothers killed,” Oliver explained as the captains looked horrified and furious at Gregor’s deceit. “Gregor is a traitor to the Bratva.”

The door then opened and everyone whirled around. Gregor and several of his men waked into the bar.

“I see you have dug too deep Oliver,” Gregor said unimpressed.

“We know what you have done,” Anatoly said as the captains looked at Gregor with disgust.

“I see. It’s a shame, I liked many of you,” Gregor said sounding sad.

Gregor and his men pulled out pistols and opened fire. The majority of the captains were hit as Oliver and Anatoly jumped behind the bar, taking cover as the barrage of bullet broke all the glasses on the bar. Viktor took cover behind a corner as he returned fire with Gregor and his men. Oliver and Anatoly jumped back up, pulling out a pistol and returning firing, getting some of Gregor’s men. Out of rounds, Anatoly shot back down, pulling out a shotgun. As Anatoly returned fire, Oliver saw one of Gregor’s men sneaking up behind Viktor. Oliver tackled the man, slamming onto a nearby chair before shooting him in the chest, killing him.

“ _Thank you_ ,” Viktor said in Russian and Oliver nodded.

Realizing the fight was not going their way, Gregor and his men retreated, leaving Oliver, Anatoly and Viktor in the now ruined bar, surrounded by bodies.

“All the captains are dead,” Oliver said as they took a breath.

“Da. Gregor will appoint new ones loyal to him. And they will kill us all,” Anatoly said darkly.

Seeing the laptop that had been dropped during the fight on the floor, Oliver picked it up. It was full of bullets. Angrily, Oliver threw it down to the floor, smashing it.

“The laptop is dead,” Oliver said glumly. 

“Without it, Gregor will tell rest of Bratva we are traitors and they will believe it,” Anatoly pointed out.

“And then they will kill us,” Viktor muttered glumly.

“So we kill him first,” Oliver said bluntly causing the other two to look at him incredulously.

“One does not talk such madness without a drink first,’ Viktor said.

“You have a better idea, I’m all ears,” Oliver said pointedly and Viktor was silent. “Where would Gregor go right now?”

“There is hockey ring,” Viktor said after a moment. “It is Bratva stronghold. It is like fortress, heavily guarded. We would never get inside.”

“I think I know someone who might,” Oliver muttered.

Tatiana’s clinic

Not long after

“Here are some blankets,” Tatiana said as she handed them to Dragon.

“Thank you Tatiana. Not many people would offer us shelter,” he noted as he took the blankets.

“I am not most people,” she said kindly.

“How’s Lindsey doing?” Dragon asked as he put the blankets down.

“She is…quiet. It is to be expected, of course. Everyone deals with loss in their own way of course,” Tatiana noted and it was silent for a moment.

The silence was broken by the ringing of Dragon’s phone.

“Excuse me, I need to take this,” Dragon said as she pulled it out.

“Of course,” she said with a kind smile before turning and walking out.

“How’d it go?” Dragon demanded as he answered the phone.

“Well, Gregor showed up and executed all but Anatoly and one other captain,” Oliver said. “So not well.”

“Let me guess, he’ll promote new captains loyal to him,” Dragon said grumpily.

“Yeah. We have to take him out before he does. There’s a hockey ring that’s a Bratva Stronghold. I can’t take it by myself. Interested?”

“I’m insulted you even have to ask,” Dragon said with a smirk.

Russia

Later

“Sure you don’t want a gun?” Dragon asked Oliver as they approached the hockey stadium.

“I prefer my bow and arrow,” Oliver said as he clutched his bow tightly.

“Suit yourself,” Dragon shrugged.

Oliver and Dragon entered the stadium before making their way towards the right. Rounding a corner, Dragon held up a hand, stopping Oliver. Oliver looked over and saw several armed guards.

“You ready?” Dragon asked lowly.

“You have no idea,” Oliver said darkly.

Dragon nodded before they jump out from around the corner. Oliver immediately fired an arrow, which hit one of the armed men in the jugular. As he went down, the other armed men whirled around as Dragon pulled out two pistols and opened fire. They returned fire but between Dragon and Oliver’s arrows, they were put down pretty easily.

“You usually don’t go for the kill,” Dragon noted as he saw Oliver left no survivors.

“That was then,” Oliver said coolly.

“More’ll be coming,” Dragon pointed out.

“Then they’ll find us waiting,” Oliver said as he notched an arrow.

True to his word, another guard appeared within seconds. Before he could even see them, Oliver fired, getting him in the chest. They stepped into the shadows as two more showed up and Dragon jumped down behind them, aiming hi pistols at the back of their heads and opening fire. They fell to the floor, blood pouring for their heads as Dragon lowered the pistols.

“Let’s go. It’s time to end this,” Oliver said in a growl.

Oliver and Dragon walked into the arena, finding Gregor surrounded by his men. They looked back as Dragon opened fire, killing some of Gregor’s men. As they returned fire, Oliver notched an arrow, killing one of Gregor’s men. As they fled, running towards the ice, Olive was in hot pursuit. Oliver fired, killing another of Gregor’s men before he was tackled, landing on the floor. One of Gregor’s men was trying to stab Oliver but Oliver pulled out a flechette, stabbing the man in the side. The man gasped in pain, allowing Oliver to take the man’s knife and slit his throat with it.

Oliver rushed towards the ice, swaying as his feet as he slide on it before firing, taking out another of Gregor’s men. Seeing Gregor trying to flee, Oliver’s already boiling rage flared and he fired an arrow. It hit Gregor in the shoulder and he went down. By this point, Oliver saw Dragon had killed Gregor’s remaining men. Clumsily, Oliver made his way across the ice as Dragon walked down the stairs, the two converging on Gregor.

“I underestimated you Oliver Queen,” Gregor said with a chuckle. “All my plans, undone by American filth.”

“Well, this American filth is gonna kill you,” Oliver growled and Gregor laughed.

“You kill me, you’ll only really be killing yourself,” Gregor mocked.

Angrily, Oliver grabbed the arrow in his shoulder and yanked it out. as Gregor howled in pain, Oliver stared at him, having a feeling this wasn’t a taunt. Something else was going on. Gregor would live…until he told them what he really meant.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I found the scene where Oliver tells Bobbi about her miscarriage to be pretty difficult to write. Not completely satisfied with it, but I hope I did okay.


	12. Vengeance consumes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A blood thirsty Oliver pursues Kovar as Anatoly grows increasingly worried for Oliver.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Italics are translated from Russian.

Unspecified location

Morning

Dragon opened the door of a hotel room. One of Gregor’s men, the only one to survive his and Oliver’s assault, tried to yell but the gag around his mouth muffled his scream.

“You’re gonna tell me what Kovar is planning. If not, well, I can make your death quick and painless or long and excruciating. Your choice really,” Dragon said darkly as he pulled out a knife.

Bratva Hideout

Same time

Gregor had the bag removed from his head as he blinked. He was tied to a chair, in the bar that acted as a Bratva hideout he realized. Oliver, Anatoly and Viktor stood before him, all with grim looks on their faces.

“You said if I kill you, I kill myself. Why?” Oliver demanded.

“You will find out soon enough,” Gregor said with a weak chuckle.

“You’re gonna tell me now, or I’m gonna put a bullet in you,” Oliver said as he pulled out a pistol.

“Go to Hell,” Gregor snapped.

In response, Oliver pulled the trigger. Gregor jolted, howling in pain as he was shot in the abdomen, blood staining his shit as he bled out.

“Are you mad? He will not talk in that much pain,” Viktor snapped as he yanked the pistol out of Oliver’s hand.

“You honestly think we can believe anything he says? He’s a traitor and a liar, he won’t tell us anything even if we torture him. Lying comes as easy to him as breathing,” Oliver pointed out.

“What you are talking about, it has to do with your deal with Kovar, yes?” Anatoly asked Gregor, ignoring the squabbling between Oliver and Viktor.

“Samovolshtina. If you knew what was and what is coming, you would beg Kovar to spare you,” Gregor taunted through his shallow breath.

He did not speak again. Anatoly checked his pulse before shaking head.

“He is dead,” Anatoly said as he lowered his hand back to his side.

“Good,” Viktor said vindictively. “Good riddance.”

“What do we do about Kovar?” Oliver asked.

“It does not matter. Our Pakhan is dead. We need to swear in a new one,” Viktor said.

“We have men loyal to us and men loyal to Gregor, all without Pakhan,” Anatoly noted grimly.

“How do we choose a new one?” Oliver inquired.

“Pakhan is determined by seniority,” Viktor said before looking at Anatoly pointedly.

It took only a moment for Oliver to understand. Part of Oliver wanted to laugh, because of course it would be Anatoly. An honorable Pakhan to replace the corrupt and self-serving Gregor. It was like the universe was laughing at Gregor from beyond the grave.

Russia

Same time

At Tatiana’s clinic, Bobbi laid in bed, a blank, lifeless look on her face. Dragon walked into the room and took one look at her. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to know that she was in a bad place.

“Are you gonna come in or just stand there?” Bobbi asked after a moment, her voice devoid of all emotion, a stark contrast to her usual self.

After a moment, Dragon entered the room.

“How are you feeling?” he asked as he sat down in the chair beside her bed.

“I lost my baby. How do you think I feel?” Bobbi asked bluntly and Dragon nodded.

“I’m sorry,” Dragon said. “I know I gave you a hard time about your relationship with Oliver…but no one deserves to go through that.”

“Thank you,” Bobbi said in what was probably meant to sound grateful but just ended up sounding monotone. “Where is Oliver?”

“He’s with the Bratva, working on a way to get us to Kovar,” Dragon explained.

Bratva Hideout

Afternoon

Gregor’s body was laid out on a table, surrounded by candles, knives, and rubbles. As Oliver and Anatoly watched from the corner of the room, a member of the Bratva placed some rubbles in Gregor’s jacket pocket.

“Why is he doing that?” Oliver asked Anatoly.

“It is for journey to afterlife. It makes good gift in heaven, but even better bribe for Satan,” Anatoly said with a wry grin.

“ _Are you ready to take your place?_ ” Viktor asked Anatoly as he approached.

“Da,” Anatoly said with a nod.

Viktor held his arm out in a show of welcoming Anatoly as he walked over to Gregor’s body. Anatoly walked over and Viktor looked back at Oliver.

“You can get in there to. You’re one of us,” Viktor said.

The words were nice, but they just seemed so…fake to Oliver. Like Viktor was putting on a show, Oliver had seen it many times growing up as Robert Queen’s son, how his parents put on shows depending on which business associate they were dealing with at the time. Still, Oliver nodded and walked into the circle of Bratva, taking his place at the edge.

Viktor walked over and picked up a knife on the table before removing the ring of the Pakhan from Gregor’s hand.

“ _Our Pakhan is dead, but the code of the thief and ties of the brotherhood live on. To our new Pakhan we pledge our loyalty_ ,” Viktor said before placing the ring on Anatoly’s hand.

“ _And I pledge mine to the Brotherhood_ ,” Anatoly said with force as he raised his hand in a fist.

Viktor then took Anatoly’s ring hand and stuck it slightly with the knife, Anatoly wincing as Viktor made a slight cut across Anatoly’s palm. Then, as Oliver watched, Viktor made a matching cut across his own hand before clapping their wounded hands in a handshake.

“ _To our new Pakhan_ ,” Viktor said.

They then dropped hands and Viktor offered Oliver the knife. After Anatoly gave him a subtle nod, Oliver accepted the knife. Viktor stepped away as Oliver stepped forward, taking Viktor’s position. Oliver made a slight cut across his palm, not even wincing. Pain was an old friend by this point.

“ _To our new Pakhan_ ,” Oliver repeated as he clapped hands with Anatoly.

Later, Oliver and Anatoly walked out of the bar, their cut hands in bandages.

“I think Viktor cut into a tendon,” Anatoly noted as he looked at his hand.

“I don’t think he’s happy you’re Pakhan,” Oliver noted.

“You think, I know,” Anatoly chuckled slightly. “So, what is your plan to deal with Kovar? You have one, da?”

“When Agent Dragon and I attacked Gregor, one of his men was left alive. While we dealt with Gregor, he tried to get any information from Gregor’s man,” Oliver said.

“And it was time well spent,” Anatoly almost jumped as Dragon stepped out of the shadows. “Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you.”

“You did not,” Anatoly lied, trying to save face.

“What did you find?” Oliver asked pointedly.

“Nothing good. Kovar is planning to overthrow the government,” Dragon explained and they started. “He’s staging a coup tomorrow night.”

“Kovar does not have enough men for that,” Anatoly pointed out.

“Which is why he’s got a weapon. It’s in a shipyard in Moscow. Kovar is going for it tonight,” Dragon said grimly.

Kovar’s house

Same time

“Everything is going according to plan,” Kovar said as he had a meeting.

“So you have handled SHIELD?” Alexander Pierce inquired and Kovar chuckled.

“After tomorrow night, SHIELD will not be able to do anything to stop us,” Kovar said gleefully.

“Hail Hydra to that,” Pierce said as they clapped hands in a handshake. “Good luck old friend. We’re all counting on you.”

Moscow

Night

In the shipyard, Oliver, Anatoly and Viktor pulled up in a truck with a few more Bratva members. Dragon watched from his position on a crate as the trio of Bratva members found Kovar’s shipment. They entered the crate and found the box. Oliver and Viktor opened it to reveal four tanks of gas. Oliver hadn’t learned to read Russian, but he could tell from Anatoly and Viktor’s faces it was bad.

“What is it?” Oliver asked.

“Sarin gas. Enough to kill thousands,” Anatoly said grimly before looking over at Viktor. “Load it onto the truck.”

Viktor, Oliver and the other Bratva grabbed the gas and carefully loaded it all onto the truck, extremely weary of even the slightest movement. They had barely finished loaded it onto the truck when Dragon contacted Oliver by Comms.

“You have incoming,” Dragon said.

Oliver whirled around just before they heard the roar of engines. Kovar and his men were approaching in a trio of vehicles. Dragon pulled out pistol and fired. His bullet hit some barrels, which exploded. The explosion blinded the driver and his vehicle crashed into some crates. However, the other two vehicles reached their destination.

Kovar and his men got out, opening fire on the Bratva. Oliver, Viktor and Anatoly took cover as a fire fight broke out. Several of the Bratva were killed and one had the unfortunate honor of being by the gas as a bullet ricocheted off it, causing a slight break. A stream of gas erupted, hitting him in the face. He dropped on his side, his face breaking out in hives as foam leaked from his mouth.

From his position, Dragon opened fire, getting some of Kovar’s men as Oliver engaged a few. Pulling out a knife, Oliver slit the man’s throat as Kovar snuck up behind Anatoly.

“ _Good evening, Pakhan_ ,” Kovar said before striking Anatoly from behind.

Kovar then headed towards the front of the truck. As he met the Bratva member who was supposed to be the driver, Kovar shot him in the chest, killing him instantly. Seeing what was happening, Dragon fired at Kovar but none of his marks hit. Kovar got in the truck and drove off as Oliver looked back, realizing what had happened.

“Kovar, he has the gas,” Oliver breathed as Anatoly got to his feet.

“Then we are all dead men,” Anatoly said grimly.

“And soon, so will the Russian government,” Dragon said darkly.

Bratva hideout

Later

After returning to the bar, Anatoly went to lie down to recover. Oliver sat at the bar, deep in thought as Viktor stormed over to him.

“You have brought madness and death into our lives,” Viktor sneered.

“What?” Oliver asked as he looked over at him.

“Your vendetta against Kovar has put us all at risk,” Viktor snapped.

“Are-are you kidding? Gregor was betraying the Bratva for Kovar. Tell me, the moment the government is wiped out, who do you think Kovar’s next target will be? The Bratva is a threat to Kovar! Whether I was here or not, Kovar was always gonna come after the Bratva,” Oliver snapped before standing up and walking away from Viktor.

“Where are you going?” Viktor asked.

“We have one of Kovar’s men in the basement. Time to see what he knows,” Oliver said simply.

Not long after, Oliver was in the basement, pulling out a variety of tools and weapons, placing them on a table. Behind him, tied down to a table not unlike the one Gregor’s body had been on earlier was Kovar’s man, a blindfold over his face.

“Please, I don’t know anything,” he said pitifully.

“Be quiet,” Oliver said as put a knife down.

Picking up a machete, Oliver walked over to the man.

“Have you ever heard of Natasha Romanoff?” Oliver asked randomly.

“What?” the man asked confused.

“She trained me. She thought I had a special…talent. She taught me things,” Oliver said.

Oliver then brought the machete down on the man’s wrist and made a slight cut. The man cried out in pain and Oliver, satisfied that the man got his point, lowered the blade.

“Tell me what Kovar is planning or I will use everything she taught me on you,” Oliver said bluntly.

“I don’t know anything,” the man lied and Oliver shrugged.

“I guess it’s time for show and tell then,” Oliver said darkly.

Oliver then picked up a small knife and stabbed the man in the stomach, twisting as the man cried out in pain.

Sometime later, Anatoly walked down into the basement, his blood running cold as he heard screams of agony, inhuman screams. Entering the room, he saw Oliver yank a bloodied knife out of the man’s stomach.

“What is this?” Anatoly asked, alerting Oliver to his presence.

“Please…help me,” the man said weakly.

“You should be resting,” Oliver said as he put the knife on the table.

“I woke up with headache, I came to find you. I did not expect…this,” Anatoly said as he walked over. “What are you doing?”

“He had information on Kovar. He needed a little…persuading to share it,” Oliver said roughly.

“I already told him everything. A while ago,” he man told Anatoly desperately. “Please…help me.”

Oliver pulled out a gun and, before Anatoly could do anything, pulled the trigger. A shot rang out as the man was hit in the head. He did not speak again. Anatoly stared at Oliver, barely recognizing him.

“What has happened?” Anatoly asked after a moment.

“What do you mean?” Oliver asked.

“I saw it first when you shot Gregor, and now I see it again. Something has happened, something you have not told me,” Anatoly said and Oliver did not deny it. “This madness, this rage…I have seen it before. Slade Wilson. Vengeance, it consumed him, just as it is consuming you now. He allowed it to turn him into a monster. Oliver, I beg of you, do not let whatever has happened turn you into one as well.”

Anatoly, with one last look at Kovar’s man, walked out. Oliver was left alone, looking down at his blood stained hands as he considered Anatoly’s words.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Given the nature of the Gregor/Kovar alliances in this fic as opposed to canon, Anatoly having a meeting with Gregor just wouldn’t have made much sense.
> 
> Obviously, the major difference here from canon is Oliver not skinning Kovar’s man alive. I always hated that because it was just so inconsistent with season one Oliver and was only done to recon Oliver into a sociopathic killer. It was just more of the writers Oliver hate.


End file.
